To Love the Enemy
by The Angel of the Lion
Summary: Squall Leonhart is sent on a mission to kidnap the resistance leader Rinoa Heartilly. But what happens when he falls in love with his enemy?
1. The Mission

To Love the Enemy

Chapter 1

"Will Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Irvine Kinneas report to my office.  I repeat, will Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Irvine Kinneas report to my office, immediately."  Squall sighed as the PA system crackled and died once more.  

"Why does this always happen when I'm busy?" he thought to himself, ruefully, as he swung his Lionheart gunblade above his head and brought it crashing down upon the knee of the T-Rexaur that he was currently locked in battle with.  The creature let out an almighty roar from the pain of his wound, and stumbled, before crashing to the ground just in front of Squall's feet.  However, it was not giving up just yet.  The T-Rexaur gathered all of its energy for one last lunge at its tormentor.  Thankfully for Squall, he leapt out of its path just in time, the snapping jaws of the creature passing just inches from his face.  Squall, realising that he needed to finish this fight quickly, put the beast out of its misery by drawing his gunblade forcefully across the throat.  

Several seconds of silence followed whilst Squall caught his breath, after which the sound of applause could be heard echoing throughout the training centre.  In the heat of the battle, Squall was so focussed that he hadn't noticed the number of students, and even some instructors, who had rushed to see Squall fighting, watching his every move intently.  It was a very rare sight in Garden, to see a T-Rexaur defeated.  They were mainly kept in the training centre so that students would realise that there are times when standing and fighting is foolish, and running away really is the best option.  As such, most of the students, especially the younger ones, were overawed by Squall's presence and his abilities.  

Squall, however, ignored the substantial audience that had formed and strode right past them, slinging his gunblade over his shoulder as he left.

"You asked to see me, Sir," Squall announced, stepping into Headmaster Cid's office.  He had found that the door had been left open, and the desk was in its usual state of disarray.  Behind the desk was a flustered man with his glasses sat half way down his nose.  He was frantically leafing through an unfeasibly large stack of papers, before he evidently found what he was looking for.  "Erm, Sir?"  The Headmaster looked up and saw the figure standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Squall.  Come in, take a seat."  Squall obliged and took the only free seat in the office, the other two already being occupied by Zell and Irvine.  "I do apologise, I was just searching for your mission briefing.  I can never find a thing in this office," he explained.  "I do apologise, all of you, he continued.  I really do hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"With all due respect, Sir, can we drop the pleasantries and get on with this?" Squall asked, trying not to sound too harsh.  He disliked interruptions, especially during his training, which he treated almost religiously.

"Business-like as usual," Cid chuckled.  He had expected this kind of serious reaction from Squall, and wasn't offended in the least.  Squall could certainly be difficult to work with, but Cid had learned long ago that this didn't stem from a problem with authority.  In fact, he now considered Squall to be the best SeeD in Garden as he always got the job done.  Sometimes, though, he wished that Squall would open up a little.  He didn't want to train a whole army of emotionless, morally deficient drones, and encouraged people to talk about their feelings, even when it concerned their missions.

"Geez, man.  You should really lighten up.  Relax a little," Zell began.  "You need to learn to let your hair down or you'll have a coronary by the time you're thirty."  Squall shot him a look of pure disdain, persuading Zell that firmly shutting his mouth would be by far his best option.  

"Great," Squall thought to himself.  "A mission with these two.  Will I get any peace?"

"Let's get back to the subject, Zell," Cid reprimanded.  "I need you to go to Timber and meet up with Instructor Trepe and Selphie Tilmitt.  Three months ago, they were sent to infiltrate a rebel organisation, The Forest Owls, who are fighting Galbadian occupation in Timber.  The leader of this organisation is Rinoa Heartilly," Cid continued, holding out a file towards the three SeeDs sat opposite him.  Squall quickly snatched this from his hand before either Zell or Irvine could get hold of it, and began to study the contents.  Surprisingly, all that was contained within was one very grainy surveillance photograph and a summary of the Forest Owls' activities.  

"Sir, where's the rest of the file?" Squall asked, puzzled.  Prior to a mission, they were usually bombarded by information about the people involved.

"That's it, I'm afraid, Squall.  We couldn't find any information about Heartilly.  All we could get was that one picture," he explained.

"Hey, give me a look at that picture, will you Squall?" Irvine whispered, nudging him in the process.  "This chick could be hot."  Squall ignored this last comment, and kept a firm grasp of the picture.

"Isn't that a little, well…odd?" Zell asked.  "I mean, she exists, so shouldn't we be able to find out something about her?"

"That's just it.  It's as if she doesn't exist on our computers.  There're no records of her anywhere."

"Then, why are we taking this mission, Sir?" Squall enquired.

"I was requested to undertake this mission by General Caraway.  Over the years, he has been one of our best clients, I felt that I had a duty to accept this, even though I did have my doubts originally.  He is a good, honest man, who has never let me down in the past."  Squall could sense that there was something more to this than Cid wanted to reveal.

"Money," Squall thought grimly to himself.  "He must be offering a great deal of money."  Squall knew that money was often at the top of Cid's list of troubles.  He always wanted to offer his help to the smaller clients whose cause he believed in, but it was very rare that these organisations were able to pay well.  In order for SeeD to continue being dispatched to smaller outfits, Cid was obliged to accept missions from very rich, very powerful organisations that can afford to pay vast sums of money, no questions asked.  Caraway was one of these clients.

"Trepe and Tilmitt will give you information regarding the leader of The Forest Owls and her schedule for the next week."  Cid continued the briefing as quickly as possible, not wanting to dwell on his reasons for accepting this mission.  "You are required to kidnap Miss Heartilly and deliver her, safe and unharmed, to Caraway's mansion in Deling City."

"What does Caraway want with her?" questioned Irvine.

"It doesn't matter," Squall answered, preparing to leave the briefing.

"You're not even the least bit interested?" he asked, amazed.

"Why should I be?"

"See, what did I tell you?" Zell chipped in.  "He needs to lighten up."

"No, what he needs is a girlfriend," said Irvine.  "You know, if you want, I could set you up with someone," he offered.  Squall clenched his fist tightly, trying to suppress his anger.  Cid picked up on this, and rescued the situation.

"Now, remember, under no circumstances is Miss Heartilly to be harmed.  General Caraway was adamant about this.  As such, I am going to outfit you with a specially modified sniper rifle.  Irvine, this will be your part in this mission.  As a last resort, you will be required to fire a tranquilliser dart at her.  Do not miss, Kinneas, failure is not an option."

"Failure is not a word in my dictionary, Sir," he replied, cockily.  Cid ignored this comment.

"Here are your train tickets to Timber."  He handed the slips of paper to Squall.  "Leonhart will be the squad leader, and you will rendezvous with Trepe and Tilmitt at the station.  They will lead you to a train we have specially commissioned for your use in this mission.  You will be completely alone on this train, and it will serve as your base."  He paused for a few seconds.  "Good luck.  You are dismissed."

A/N  When I looked back on these first few chapters, I just cringed, so I've decided to re-write them and make them a lot longer.  I hope this is worthwhile.  Please tell me what you think.


	2. The Plan

Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"Yo, Squall. How long till we're there?" Zell was jumping around the carriage 'swatting flies.'  
  
"About five minutes less than the last time you asked." Squall's patience was growing thin.  
  
"Geez, there's no need to be so moody."  
  
"Yes there is, he's Squall," chipped in Irvine. "He has to be moody and grumpy. It's his job or something." Squall shot him a look before returning to staring out of the window.  
  
"That's unfair. I'm sure he's not always this bad." Zell ruffled Squall's hair but found himself swiftly being launched across the room by Squall, who left his seat to sit as far away from Irvine and Zell as he could.  
  
"We'd better be there soon," he thought to himself. "I don't know how much more of these two I can handle."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"When are we going to meet Quistis and Selphie?"  
  
"You're not. I'm going alone," replied Squall.  
  
"Why? That's not fair."  
  
"It's orders. I actually bothered to read the file. I will meet Quistis alone, without you two, to avoid suspicion."  
  
"When are you going?"  
  
"Now. You two had better stay in the hotel, I don't have time to babysit." With that he walked out of the room, not even bothering to say goodbye.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Squall scanned the pub, looking for Quistis. He spotted her, sat at the table in the far corner, half hidden in shadows.  
  
"Instructor Trepe."  
  
"Squall."  
  
"Do you have the information that I need?" She nodded.  
  
"Selphie and I are now trusted members of the Forest Owls. We've been able to obtain detailed information on her schedule for the next few days. I believe you will have the best opportunity to perform the kidnapping tomorrow."  
  
"After the meeting with Forest Fox?"  
  
"That was exactly what I was thinking." She smiled at him, trying to make eye contact. "Isn't it funny?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind." Quistis had secretly liked Squall for years but he just wouldn't speak to her. "It's not like I haven't dropped any hints," she thought. "Why won't he even look at me?"  
  
"Are you listening to me?" he demanded.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"I asked who this Forest Fox was."  
  
"Oh, right. She's the leader of another resistance group. The Forest Owls wish to forge an alliance with them. Do you think that's why Caraway wants Miss Heartilly kidnapped? To stop the merging of resistance group." He shrugged.  
  
"It's not my concern, and it's not any of yours either. All that matters is the mission."  
  
"Do you have a plan?"  
  
"Yes. SeeD have a specially commissioned train in Timber to ensure a quick and speedy escape. As soon as the meeting begins, we'll bring the train into the station, along Miss Heartilly's route back to her base. There is a perfect sniper spot for Irvine on the Timber Maniacs building. I trust you and Selphie will be with her at this time."  
  
"We will. What do you need us to do?"  
  
"Create a distraction. I don't want anyone to see me kidnap her. I should only need a few seconds to drag her aboard the train. We'll leave immediately. There is a rental car parked just outside Timber for Selphie, Irvine and yourself. You'll need to find it and drive it to this location." He handed her a map with a cross marked on it. "We cannot afford to wait for you to board the train inside Timber, the priority is that we escape with Miss Heartilly. That is why you must meet up with us later. Understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir." It killed Quistis to know that Squall outranked her in mission situations due to his higher SeeD rank. She was used to being an instructor, and hated being on missions, especially with Squall. He was the last person she wanted to take orders from.  
  
"Be ready tomorrow." He stood up and strode out of the bar with Quistis staring after him in a daze. 


	3. The Kidnapping

Sorry for the lack of updates. I haven't died (yet) I just have a LOT of work to do.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Squall confidently strode into the square, following the raven-haired woman who was some way in front of him. Seeing her enter a nearby house, he took a seat on a bench at the station and proceeded to make a phone call.  
  
"We're ready." He hung up, not waiting for a reply. He knew the message got through when, a few minutes later, a train rolled into the station. Squall recognised the driver as Zell, and nodded to him to signify that the mission was going ahead. Glancing up to the roof above the Timber Maniacs building, he saw Irvine in position, ready for the woman to exit the meeting.  
  
"Now, all we can do is wait," he thought.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The meeting seemed to go on forever. Squall was just about to call the whole thing off, thinking that someone had tipped off the leader of the Forest Owls as to the SeeD's intentions, when the woman he recognised to be Miss Heartilly left the building flanked by Quistis and Selphie. To Squall, she looked very different from her picture. There was something about her which attracted his gaze to her, and he felt himself staring into her eyes, but could do nothing to stop himself. Noticing him, she flashed a quick smile in his direction, causing a jealous look from Quistis which brought Squall back to reality. He shook his head, in an attempt to clear from it all thoughts not relating to their mission. He had just enough time to steady himself before Selphie began to scream.  
  
"That guy stole my bag. Someone, help." All of the street began to stare at the young SeeD who was jumping up and down, and flailing her arms wildly in the air. Nobody noticed when Squall stepped forward to grab his target, who was now only a few feet away. He clasped his hand firmly around her mouth to prevent her from screaming, and dragged her onto the nearby train, closing the door swiftly behind them. He threw her into the nearest room and locked the door, before shouting through the cabin door to Zell.  
  
"Get us out of here. Now." 


	4. Introductions

Sorry I haven't updated in ages.  I have coursework and exams and stuff to do.  Damn school.  I don't mean for all my updates to be so short, it's school's fault.

Chapter 4

"Hey.  Hey, let me out.  Let me out!"

"Yo, Squall.  You gonna go shut her up before she bangs that door down?"  Squall rose silently and unlocked the door to the cabin.  His captive, obviously sensing a chance of escape, ran towards the door, only to find her way blocked by Squall.  

"Sit down and shut up."  He commanded, holding on to her shoulders in an attempt to calm her.

"Sit down and shut up?  Sit down and shut up?  Why the hell should I do that?  I demand that you tell me why I'm here.  Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

"…….."

"Tell me dammit!"

"Orders."  Squall hoped that would satisfy her and keep her quiet.  For the time being at least.

"Who's orders?" she demanded.

"Look, lady.  I won't answer your questions so just go talk to a wall."  Squall was quickly losing patience.

"You really should learn to be more polite to your guests.  And I do have a name you know."

"What a coincidence, so do I," he drawled.  He found himself being swiftly slapped across the face.

"You'd better learn some manners."  She stormed across the room and sat in the corner, arms folded.  "Yes, what are you staring at?"  Squall wasn't aware that he had been. 

"Nothing.  Sorry."  Squall leant back against the wall and ran his gloved hand through his hair, brushing thin wispy strands from out of his eyes.  "Look, lady.  Do you want some food or something?"  Squall was conscious of the fact that if she wasn't looked after properly, he wouldn't get paid.  She shook her head.

"It's Rinoa by the way."

"What?"

"My name.  So you can stop calling me lady."  She slowly got back to her feet and walked towards Squall.  "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Doesn't matter who I am."

"Yes it does.  I like to know who takes me hostage," she joked.  For some reason, she wasn't afraid of the man who stood before her.  It wasn't because of his appearance.  He looked every bit the trained fighter, muscled arms, strong build and a scar running down the centre of his face.  There was just something about his manner that made Rinoa feel quite at ease with him, as if she knew he wouldn't harm her.  Besides, he was far too aloof to be your average soldier, trained only to kill.  He was something different.  Rinoa waited for a reply, but none came.  He merely raised one eyebrow, quizzically, as if he knew she was joking.  "Please?"  He sighed, deeply.

"Squall."

"There.  That wasn't so difficult was it?"

"Hmphh."  He turned away.

"So, who are you working for?" she asked hopefully.

"Nobody."

Oh, don't give me that.  I know you're working for someone, I have lots of enemies.  Just tell me who."  He remained silent.  She sighed, knowing that she would not get any answers out of him.  "Just promise me something okay?"  Her voice was tinged with sadness.  The sudden change caused Squall to look at her, puzzled.  "Promise me you're not working for General Caraway."  Seeing the hopeful, pleading look in her eyes, Squall quickly turned away.  Fighting, he could do, but lying?  He hated lying to people.  He had been called aloof, uncaring, cold and selfish, but never in his life had anyone accused him of being dishonest.  It was one thing that he was proud of.  "Look at me."  He couldn't.  "You are working for him.  Aren't you?"  He couldn't answer.  "No."  A tear slipped down her cheek and she sniffed slightly.  "No."  She slid down the wall and put her head in her hands.  Squall didn't know why, but this hurt him inside.  Maybe it reminded him of all the times he had cried in his childhood.  He knew how she felt, and it made him feel totally powerless.  He didn't know what to do, how to make her feel better.  He felt sorry for her.  Everything that he'd been told about her made him think that she was a powerful, ruthless leader but meeting her had made him change his mind.  She seemed warm and fragile, not a typical leader.  Kneeling down beside her, he said the only thing that he could think of.

"I'm sorry."


	5. The Past

Chapter 5

Squall opened the door to the driver's cabin, scratching the back of his head, deep in thought.

"Squall.  You alright man?"  Zell received no reply.  "Squall?"

"Hmm?"

"So you are listening.  What's up with you?"

"Nothing.  How far are we from the meeting point?"

"Couple of hours.  It'll take Quistis and the others longer to get there though."

"How much longer?"

"Four hours, maybe more.  I don't know exactly.  It might take them longer to get there coz it's night, and you know how bad a driver Irvine is."  Squall nodded and stood silently against the wall, staring out of the window.  "Yo, go check on Rinoa will you."

"Why?  I only just finished checking on her."

"I'm trying to concentrate and you're just creeping me out, standing there and saying nothing."

"Whatever."  Disappointed with his leader's reply, Zell began to sing the "Train Song" that Selphie had taught him.

"Train, train, take us away."  

"Alright, alright.  I'll go."  Zell smiled to himself as Squall left the room.

Rinoa was still crying when Squall returned.

"Please don't take me to him.  I don't wanna see that man."  Squall could see the fright in Rinoa's eyes, but merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I've got orders."

"So you just follow them?  You don't question them?"  He shook his head.  "Let me guess, you're SeeD?"  Squall didn't reply.  "I knew it.  Only SeeD are naïve enough to do that."

"Your'e calling SeeD naïve?   You're the one who trusts total strangers you know nothing about.  Is it any wonder you were kidnapped if you were that stupid?"

"What…what are you talking about?"  

"You mean you still haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"  Squall laughed to himself.

"And to think they told me you were dangerous."

"I don't know what you mean.  Just tell me," she screamed.

"Fine.  Didn't you think it was strange Quistis and Selphie didn't try to help you?"

"You mean…?"  He nodded his head.

"How could they do that to me?"

"Orders."   Her crying became worse.  

"Well at least I'm not the one who's working for his enemy," she spat.  

"I don't know what you mean."

"No, you wouldn't.  You SeeDs only work for one thing…money.  You don't care who you get your job from as long as they pay you.  Fools.  Only people too stupid to think for themselves join SeeD.  They don't want anyone with their own beliefs, opinions or morals.  The only people who join are would be murderers."

"That's not true," he hissed, trying to control his temper.

"Go on then.  Why did you join?  Was it because you wanted to kill people or because you wanted to be rich?" she taunted, storming across the room towards him until they were face to face.      "Which one is it?"

"Neither."  He spoke with so much venom that she considered backing down.  "I had nothing left.  I had nobody.  SeeD were the only people who would offer me a home.  I had no choice."  She broke their gaze and stared at the floor.

"I…I'm sorry," her voice softened.

"Hmph.  Whatever."

"No, I had no idea that it wasn't your choice."  After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she decided to push the issue further.  "So what happened to your parents?"

"I don't want to talk about it."  He turned away so that he was facing the wall.

"Please?  It'll help."

"…"

"Squall?"

"Leave me alone."  Honouring his wishes, she walked over to the window, staring at the scenery flashing past.  Trees, fields, small villages.  She must have stood there, lost in thought, for more than an hour.  The sound of Squall fidgeting brought her back to reality.  She turned to face him.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"  He looked up at her, his deep, stormy blue eyes piercing her to her very soul, making her a shiver run down her spine.

"For asking about your parents.  It obviously still hurts you."

"No it doesn't, I just don't like to talk about it."

"It must hurt you if you don't like to talk about it."

"Fine," he sighed.  "I never knew my mother, she died giving birth to me.  My father left just before that, not wanting to be with us and I was brought up by my older sister who died when I was about eight.  There.  You happy?"

"Oh, Squall.  I'm sorry."  She sat down next to him and tried to take his hand, but he swiftly brushed her off.

"What for.  It's not your fault."

"I didn't say it was.  I'm just sorry you've had to go through all that."

"Whatever."

"I mean it."

"No you don't, you think I'm a cold-blooded murderer, and maybe I am, but that's still no business of yours."

"You mean, you've actually killed someone?"  She sounded frightened.

"What do you think SeeDs do?"

"Well, I don't know."

"We fight wars for other people.  People rich enough to employ others to die for them.  We're just expendable.  Of the cadets who joined at the age of eight, only two of us remain.  That's how expendable we really are."

"Is that why you're the way you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is that why you're always so cold?" 

"What makes you think I'm cold?"

"The way you talk to me.  That, and Quistis told me."

"Quistis told you?"

"Well, I presume it was you.  I overheard her talking to Selphie about a man with a scar down his forehead and dark hair that hangs over his eyes.  She said you wouldn't even talk to her after all the year's you've known her.  She was in tears, reminiscing about all the times you shook off her advances."

"What advances?"

"See.  You're too blind to even notice."  She threw up her hands in frustration.  "You have the worst people skills of anyone I've ever met."

"Sorry."

"It's ok.  I guess you have an excuse."

"Which is?"

"You've seen everyone you grew up with die.  You must wake up everyday thinking it could be your last.  You expect the end to come.  It's no surprise."

"You don't even know me and now you're trying to figure out my whole life?"

"Sorry.  You're just easy to read, the stereotypical, cold-hearted mercenary."  He shook his head.  "You know I'm right." 

"Maybe I chose to be cold.  Did it ever occur to you that I might like being like that?" he snapped.  He was genuinely shaken by this woman sat next to him, everything she had said was true.  "What is she, psychic or something?" he thought.  "No, she doesn't know anything about me."

"Squall?" Rinoa asked, worried about the expression on her captor's face.

"You don't know anything about me," he screamed at her, storming out of the room.  "You don't know anything."

Big thanks to:

Renegade Seraph

Firgodes7

Riona

CTHKSI

Rinoa Leonhart73

Ruby Dragon

Lionheart

Rebekka

Hiasha

Ashintana

Tiger Eyes

Townberry

Exhile87

JessyNick

StarGazer

Krnman

Ps.  Merry Christmas everyone!!


	6. The Storm

A/N  Thanks for the reviews guys.  Riona, there will be a plot to this, but I'm not telling what it is for the time being.  And to the anonymous person, I know Ellone didn't die in the game, but it's an AU fic and she wasn't going to play any part in the story so I thought it would help to explain Squall's character more if she had died.

Chapter 6

"Yo Quistis.  Where've you been?  We've been waiting hours and there's a storm building up.  Squall's getting real grumpy."

"Now there's a surprise," remarked Quistis dryly.  "I'm sorry it took so long.  It's difficult to drive in stormy weather you know?"

"Was is that bad?"

"Yes, and I think it's heading this way."  She needed to shout to make herself heard above the wind.

"You think we should travel in this?"

"No way, but I don't think there'll be any dissuading Squall."

"I'll go talk to him.  Go wait inside."  She gladly stepped into the shelter of the train, closely followed by Selphie and Irvine.

"Squall?"

"What is it?" he sighed, not wanting any company.

"We really shouldn't travel in this weather.  It isn't safe."  Zell shifted uncomfortably, waiting for Squall's reply.

"We have no choice.  We can't just stop here.  The sooner we get to Deling, the sooner we get rid of her."  He motioned towards the carriage where Rinoa was.

"Come on Squall.  You can't risk everyone's life just coz you don't like some chick we're with."

"We're not stopping."

"Squall, do you want us all to die or something?"  Squall was saved from replying by the sound of the storm outside intensifying.  "Squall?"  A loud creaking sound could be heard above the raging winds outside, followed by a loud crashing sound that rang in the SeeD's ears.  "Hey, that came from Rinoa's cabin."

"Get the others out of here," Squall ordered calmly.

"You're going to get Rinoa?"  He nodded, opening the door to the carriage.  A scene of total carnage met his eyes.  One of the older trees from the forest outside had been flattened in the storm, and crashed into the train.

"Rinoa?"  No answer.  "Damn it."  He started to root through the rubble on the floor, with no success.  "Rinoa?"  Squall thought he saw something move in the corner.

"Did I imagine that?"  A second movement dispelled his doubt.  Pulling back the branches from the tree, he found Rinoa.  She had been hit hard, her head bleeding slightly.

"Squall?" she mouthed weakly.

"Shh.  Don't say anything.  Just rest."

"Am I dead?"

"No," he laughed slightly.  "You just hit your head."

"You laughed?"  She smiled at him, running her fingers through his hair, making Squall shiver.  Strangely, he didn't pull away.  He stared into her deep, brown eyes as if in a trance.  A thunderclap brought swiftly him back to reality.  He tore off the bottom of his t-shirt and placed it against Rinoa's head, applying pressure gently to stop the bleeding.

"You'll be okay.  Just relax."  He picked her up effortlessly, holding her close to his chest.  "You'll be okay."

"Hey, Squall is she okay?"

"Where are the others Zell?"

"I sent them into the forest to find shelter.  It should be safer in there, I haven't seen any lightning."  Squall nodded his approval and headed for the forest.  "Do you want me to carry her for you?"  Squall held her closer, shaking his head.  "And I thought you didn't like her."

"She's a client.  Do you think I'd trust a client to you?"  Zell quickly shut up, sensing he had hit a nerve.

"I'm sorry Squall, this is the best we could find.  I know it's not much in the way of shelter, but it's better than nothing."  Quistis just stared as Squall ran past her, cradling Rinoa in his arms.  He placed her on the ground, carefully examining the wound on her head.  "Might as well be talking to a wall," she spat.  Squall ignored her, taking off his jacket, and putting it under Rinoa's head.

"Squall.  I've got a headache."

"I know.  Just try to get some sleep.  You'll be fine."  She smiled when she saw his eyes filled with concern.

"Hey Squall.  What do we do now?" asked Zell.

"We'll have to stay here for the night.  Rinoa's in no state to walk anywhere."

"And after that?"

"Don't you remember your Garden Code?  We travel to the nearest Garden."

"Which is?"

"Galbadia."

"Do you know the way?"  Squall fell silent.

"I know the way," Quistis told them.  

"Good.  Now get some sleep," Squall ordered.   After everybody had settled down, he went to sit by Rinoa.  Taking the part of his t-shirt that now served as a bandage off her wound, he saw it was no longer bleeding.  She struggled to open her eyes.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" she asked weakly.

"Someone has to stay awake and keep watch."

"Always the leader."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing.  Nothing."  She shivered.  "It's freezing out here."  Noticing that her head was resting on Squall's jacket, she groggily sat up.  "Here," she handed it to him. 

"Keep it."

"But…"

"I said keep it."  He snatched it from her and placed it over her shoulders.  "I don't get cold."

"Thank you," she said, laying her head on his lap.  "Goodnight."

"Night," came the whispered reply.

Big thanks to:

Renegade Seraph

Rinoa Leonhart73

Hiasha

CTHKSI

Krnman

Riona

Rebekka

Anonymous

Angel_wing


	7. Escape?

Chapter 7 

Squall hadn't meant to fall asleep.  He had wanted to stay awake, to watch over everyone.  After all, you never know what could happen.  SeeDs should always be prepared.  

But it was so quiet in the forest, there wasn't so much as a sound, and Squall hadn't slept properly for a long time.  He had been too proud to admit it, but deep down, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay awake all night.

He managed to keep his head full of thoughts for a few hours, keeping him awake.  He also had that nagging feeling of guilt eating away at him inside.  This was something he had never felt before…sympathy.  If he had a choice, maybe he wouldn't take Rinoa to Caraway.  She didn't seem dangerous, and he couldn't think of another reason Caraway would want her brought to him.  Sure, he had his doubts, but a mission was a mission, and he was a SeeD.  He would do what he had to.  That's what he'd always done.

After a few hours, his mind became free from all thoughts, and he slowly drifted off to sleep, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

Rinoa picked up on this.  She had begun to worry that he wouldn't fall asleep, that he'd stay awake all night keeping an eye on her.  She had been lying there now for hours, and she was finding it difficult to keep up the pretence of sleeping.

Slowly, she lifted her head, being careful not to wake Squall.  There was no perceivable change in his breathing and his eyes remained shut.  Satisfied that he was still asleep, she stood up as silently as she could, and began to walk away from the group of SeeDs.

There was a cold wind biting at her skin, causing her to shiver.  She put Squall's jacket on and stared back at him, pangs of guilt flowing through her.

"He's going to get in trouble for this, isn't he?" she thought.  She had heard that SeeD punishments were harsh and didn't want anything bad to happen to Squall.  "After all, he helped me out before.  Granted, I wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for him.  No, that's not true.  Some other SeeD would have come for me, so I guess I can't blame him.  Besides, I kind of feel sorry for the guy.  No friends, no family.  His job is all he has.  That's not a life."  She started to chuckle to herself.

"I bet he'd kill me if he knew I felt sorry for him."  She took one last look at the sleeping figure before turning round and walking deeper into the forest.

"Sorry Squall," she whispered, "But I can't go to him."

It felt like she had been walking for hours, but it could only have been a few minutes.  The storm was still raging, and the cold wind had picked up.  She leaned forward and bit her lip, determined not to give in to the elements.  She was thankful for the jacket Squall had given her.  Without it, she might have been tempted to turn back for fear of freezing here.  The more she walked, the harder it became to go any further, her feet felt like lead, and it was a struggle to see where she was going, as she had to stare at the floor so that nothing carried by the wind got in her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind.  She spun around quickly.

"Squall."  She struggled, trying to free herself from his grasp, but to no avail.  "Let me go."  He shook his head and began leading her back to the others.  "How did you find me?"

"I heard you wake up.  I've been following you."  His face was expressionless.

"But I didn't see you.  I didn't hear you."

"No, you wouldn't have."

"Another part of SeeD training, huh?"  He nodded and they continued in silence for some time.  "Please don't take me to him."  He noticed the fear in her eyes and he began to feel guilty once more.

"I have to."  He couldn't look at her.  He didn't want to see the look on her face as she realised he had to deliver her to Caraway.

"Please, Squall.  Look, I'll double what he's paying you.  Will that help?"  He shook his head.

"Caraway's one of our best customers.  The headmaster at Garden would never oppose him.  And besides, you don't even know how much he's paying us.  I doubt you'd be able to get half of it."

"Surely there's something I can do."

"Nothing."  He sighed.  "Why don't you want to go to him anyway?  What made him order us to kidnap you?"

"What, you're interested in your mission now?  What happened to not caring?" she muttered sarcastically.

"Fine.  I was just trying to be nice," he spat, marching her back to where the others were sleeping.

"There you are Squall.  I was worried."  Quistis had woken up and was keeping watch over everyone else.  "What happened?"

"She made a run for it."

"Good thing you found her.  Here."  Quistis tossed a length of rope to Squall.  He immediately understood, looping one end around Rinoa's wrist, and the other around his own.  

"You're not going anywhere now."

Thanks to:

Starlight

CTHKSI-thanks for reading so much of my stuff.

Rinoa Leonhart73

Rebekka

Emma

Angelprinzcess29

Riona- sorry you thought she was being a little "girly."  Hopefully this chapter will help that.  Maybe the being girly was all part of her escape plan.

Icicle

Hiasha-love your new fic by the way.  Everyone go read it.


	8. Truth

Chapter 8  
  
  
  
"You ready for a break?" Squall asked.  
  
"I don't care," Rinoa lied. They had been walking since dawn, and it was well past lunchtime by now. She had had to keep pace with Squall and was exhausted.  
  
"Fine." He sat down with his back against the tree, causing the rope on Rinoa's wrist to pull tight. She crashed to the floor.  
  
"Thanks," she muttered dryly, brushing the dirt off her clothes. Squall pretended not to notice. He pulled out some food from the pocket of his jacket and handed it to Rinoa who turned away, ignoring his offer.  
  
"Just take it. We mught not be stopping again for a while."  
  
"Fine." She snatched the food from his outstretched hand.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry."  
  
"What? Am I hearing things? Was that an apology?" She laughed. "Don't tell me you do have feelings?"  
  
"Fine, be like that. I have the decency to apologise and you just go and bite my head off. I won't bother in the future." Rinoa may have been angry but she knew how much courage it had taken Squall to apologise.  
  
"Sorry." Her voice softened. "I know you're just doing your job."  
  
"Why don't you want to go?" Rinoa was puzzled at the interest he was showing her.  
  
"It doesn't matter," she said, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. Squall wiped it away gently.  
  
"It's okay. You don't have to talk about it." She looked up into his eyes and saw that he was genuinely concerned.  
  
"He's my father."  
  
"What? But he's the head of the army and you lead a resistance faction."  
  
"I know. He made my life hell when I was younger. After my mother died, he became a different person. I couldn't stand living in the same house as him so I left for Timber and saw how badly the army was treating the townspeople. I couldn't just stand around and let my father do that."  
  
"Why do you think he asked us to kidnap you?"  
  
"I'm really not sure. I've been thinking about that a lot but I can't come up with an answer. He hasn't come after me before now."  
  
"Look, Rinoa. If I had a choice I wouldn't take you."  
  
"Thanks. And Squall?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I should probably tell you this. I think my father wants to destroy SeeD."  
  
"What? Why would you think that?"  
  
"I found a document on his desk just before I left. It didn't say anything explicitly. It just hinted at his intentions."  
  
"You must be mistaken. He's our biggest client. He's been using SeeDs on missions for years."  
  
"Maybe. I just thought I should let you know."  
  
"Thanks." He smiled. "You ready to leave?"  
  
"I guess." She tried to stand up, forgetting that her wrist was bound to Squall's. She fell, onlyto find Squall's arms reaching out for her. Before she knew it, her head was buried in Squall's chest and his arms were wrapped tightly around her, his chin resting on the top of her head. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other awkwardly.  
  
"I...erm. I'm sorry," he muttered, blushing.  
  
"No, no. It's my fault. If I hadn't..." She found herself quietened by Squall, who placed a finger over her mouth, signalling her to be quiet. He loosened the rope around their wrists, allowing him to slip free and draw his gunblade.  
  
"Stay here," he mouthed to her. He had heard a slight noise in the bushes nearby. Not much, but his SeeD instincts had tought him to be extremely wary. In the next instant a soldier dressed in uniform flew at him, sword raised high in the air. He was no match for Squall, who easily brought his gunblade up to block before plunging the tip through the soldier's heart.  
  
Seeing this, four other men emerged from the undergrowth, heading for Rinoa.  
  
"Where are Quistis and the others?" thought Squall, rushing to protect her. Before they could even get near, Squall had placed himself between the attackers and Rinoa.  
  
They didn't even stand a chance.  
  
Three fell swiftly to quick flashes of Squall's blade. The fourth, Squall knocked unconscious with punch to the head. He took the rope that once bound him to Rinoa, and tied he soldier to a nearby tree.  
  
"You alright?" he asked Rinoa. She nodded, looking shaken. Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the soldier, who was now coming around. He pointed the tip of his gunblade to to his throat. "who sent you?" he snarled. the soldier didn't reply. Squall made a swift cut down the side of the man's face.  
  
"Squall!" Rinoa screamed in shock. He ignored her.  
  
"Who sent you?"  
  
"Nobody," stuttered the wounded soldier. "Really, it was nobody." Squall made an identical cut down the opposite side of his face.  
  
"Talk. Now."  
  
"Squall. Stop it"  
  
"Rinoa. Stay out of this."  
  
"But you're hurting him!"  
  
"He's a soldier. They're prepared for pain. They're prepared for death."  
  
"That doesn't matter. It doesn't mean that it's right to hurt him." She turned to the soldier. "Please, just tell him what he wants to know. I swear he won't hurt you if you do."  
  
"You...you mean it?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Well, alright. It was General Caraway, but I don't know why he sent us, I swear." Squall was about to bring his gunblade down on the soldier once again when Rinoa stopped him.  
  
"I think he's telling the truth." She out her arm on his, lowering it to his side. "So you can stop with the interrogation."  
  
"What do you know about it?"  
  
"Squall, why did Caaway send you on this mission?"  
  
"I don't know. He didn't tell us."  
  
"Exactly. Why would he tell this soldier then?" Squall fell silent and Rinoa knew she had won. "So you can let him go now."  
  
"Let him go? So he can go and tell Caraway what we've done to his men?"  
  
"The punishment for giving information in the army is execution. If he says he escaped, they'll know that he'd been talking to us. They'd exexecute him. He's not going to tell anyone." Rinoa looked into Squalls eyes, pleading with him.  
  
"Fine." He made sure that he had no weapons before untying the ropes. "Go."  
  
"Thank you," the soldier gushed at Rinoa before running in the direction of Timber.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Squall asked Rinoa.  
  
"A little shaken I guess. I'm not used to all this death. I guess you are."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Seventeen"  
  
"Realy?"   
  
"Yeah, why do you sound so surprised?"  
  
"I guess it's just because you've seen so much death, and you're always so serious. I thought you were much older."  
  
"On the battlefield, you mature or you die."  
  
"Wow, thats realy harsh. Don't you ever get to just act like a teenager?"  
  
"I don't know. To be honest, I'm not really sure how other teenagers act. That must sound really stupid."  
  
"No, its not. I just feel sorry for you. You missed out on so much."  
  
"Whatever." Rinoa started to laugh. "What?"  
  
"It's just funny. You start to open up and talk, and then you go right back to your usual self again. Well as I see I've hit hit a brick wall with this conversation, I think I'll start another. Why would Caraway send out a squadron of soldiers to find you?"  
  
"I don't know. It looked like they were after you though."  
  
"But why? I thought he paid you to kidnap me?"  
  
"He did."  
  
"So why would he send out soldiers to kidnap me from you?"  
  
"He did."  
  
"So why would he send out soldiers to kidnap me from you?"  
  
"Have you ever heard Caraway tell anybody else about SeeD contracts?"  
  
"No. I didn't. Why?"  
  
"If this contract was a secret, he could easily make out that we kidnapped you with thw intention to hurt you. Nobody would know any different, and you said he was trying to destroy SeeD right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What better way than for a group of soldiers to find SeeD members kidnapping his own daughter?"  
  
"That makes sense. He wouldn't want me back because he cares."  
  
"We have to find the others and get to Garden quickly. We need to warn them."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks to:  
Renegade Seraph for some of the ideas in the chapter. I finally managed to write them in.  
Rinoa Leonhart73  
Dark Raion  
Rinoa  
Carie Valentine  
CTHKSI 


	9. Changes

Chapter 9  
  
  
  
"Squall, we've been walking for hours and we still haven't seen any sign of them. Shouldn't we just go on without them?" Squall could see that she was exhausted, she wasn't used to the SeeD way of life after all, so he wasn't surprised when she suggested giving up.  
  
"We can't. I never leave my team behind." He slowed his pace almost imperceptibly, making it easier for Rinoa to keep up, without making it obvious that he thought she couldn't handle the pace.  
  
"Never?" she questioned, drawing level with him.  
  
"You sound surprised."  
  
"You just never struck me as the loyal type, that's all." Squall didn't reply to this, instead he stopped in his tracks and motioned for Rinoa to get down.  
  
"There are people up ahead. It might be the others, or it might be…" He didn't need to finish this sentence. Rinoa knew what he meant. "Just in case, I want you to stay here and keep down, alright?" She nodded, at the same time mentally admonishing herself for taking orders.   
  
"I've always hated taking orders from anybody, and now here I am obeying someone I barely know."   
  
She sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"At least he's not just anyone. I trust him, right? I mean, everyone else seems to, even though he's so cold towards them. But, can I really trust a mercenary? He was sent here to kidnap me after all. That's not something I can just forget. On the other hand, do I have another alternative? Go back to Timber and wait to be kidnapped all over again? Go back to that man and become a pawn in another one of his plans? I guess I've got nowhere else to go."  
  
Squall looked back towards her, flicking his hair out of stormy blue eyes, sending a shiver through Rinoa as they bore deep into her soul.  
  
"Are you alright?" he mouthed silently. She nodded in return.  
  
"I guess it could be worse. A lot worse."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Squall skirted through the undergrowth, hardly making a sound. He managed to make out the incessant burbling of a nearby stream, which was where the group of people appeared to me. From this angle, he didn't have a clear enough view of whether or not it was his team. Sighing, he knew he'd have to take his eye of Rinoa to get a better view. It wasn't that he was afraid of her trying to escape again. He was confident of catching up to her if she did. The few hours walking they had done had shown him that that shouldn't be a problem. He was more worried of her getting into danger if he wasn't there.   
  
"Why? It's not as if she's really my responsibility anymore. The headmaster will certainly cancel the contract with Caraway as soon as he hears the truth. Maybe it's because she helped me to discover the truth. If she hadn't have mentioned the document concerned with destroying SeeD, I might have thought that the attack was all just a misunderstanding. We could all be in a great deal more danger if it wasn't for her. I guess we should all be grateful for that."  
  
He looked back at her, making sure that she was still okay. He motioned to her as best as he could that he would have to move to see who it was, but that she should remain. Looking back at her, something stirred deep within his soul.  
  
"It's definitely not because I feel I owe her something. It's something else. I just don't know what."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Moving to get a better view, Squall thought he recognised one of the voices from beside the stream.  
  
"Yo, Quis? Make us some hotdogs will ya?"  
  
It had to be Zell.  
  
"Make them yourself. You'll never learn otherwise. Anyway, shouldn't you be busy trying to find Squall?"  
  
Satisfied that the people before him were in fact his team, he emerged from the trees.  
  
"Where the hell were you guys?" he growled.  
  
"Sorry, Squall. We were looking for water, but we couldn't find any so we ended up right out here." Selphie hung her head in shame. "We're all sorry."  
  
"Why? What happened?" asked Quistis, concerned.  
  
"Some of Caraway's men ambushed us."  
  
"Caraway?" everyone exclaimed in unison.  
  
"Yeah. Turns out he wants to destroy SeeD. Painting a picture of us as kidnappers would certainly help him."  
  
"But couldn't he have asked us to kidnap anyone? Why the expense to kidnap Rinoa?" Squall shrugged his shoulders. Of course, he knew the truth, but what Rinoa told him was revealed in confidence. He didn't feel right betraying her trust, even of his comrades had a right to know.  
  
"Hey, guys." Irvine shouted from some distance away. "Look what I found." Irvine was dragging Rinoa by the arm so hard, it was clearly hurting her. He dumped her on the floor in the middle of the group. "She was trying to escape again."  
  
"She wasn't trying to escape, I told her to stay there," Squall told them. This was met with many puzzled looks. Rinoa picked herself up from the floor and punched Irvine in the face, causing him to howl in pain.  
  
"Ow. Geez, that hurt. Who let her off her leash?"  
  
"I did," pointed out Squall, trying hard not to laugh. Rinoa looked at him quizzically, not used to seeing this side of him.  
  
"What the hell for?" screamed Irvine, still smarting from the blow.  
  
"She helped me out. And after all, it was Caraway who ordered her kidnap. We're not working for him anymore."  
  
"How do you know this?" asked Zell.  
  
"I had a little talk with one of the soldiers Caraway sent." Everybody understood exactly what that meant.  
  
"Well. What do we do now?" asked Quistis. "Do we just go back to Garden?"  
  
"We'll travel to Galbadia Garden and explain our situation to them. They should let us rent a car to Dollet. We'll have to take the boat seen as the trains are down. We'll have to hurry, we may not have much time. As soon as Caraway realises his plan's failed, he may decide on another course of action. He's bound to have a back up plan."  
  
"Are we leaving now?" asked Irvine, rubbing his cheek. Squall was about to say yes, but he thought of how tired Rinoa must have been before.   
  
"No, we'll rest up for now," he said, glancing at Rinoa, who seemed relieved. "This seems like a good enough place to camp. We'll leave early tomorrow."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Squall was sat alone at the edge of the campsite, pondering the days events.   
  
"So much has changed in one day. Yesterday, I knew exactly what to do, who I was fighting for, who I should take orders from. Now…now I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do anymore. Maybe that's what Rinoa meant about me being naïve. Maybe I can't think for myself. Life's so much easier when you just have to follow orders. As soon as you begin to think for yourself,that's when it's complicated."  
  
Deep in thought, he gazed across the campsite at the others. Quistis and Zell were trying to start a fire with wood that Irvine was collecting for them. His deep crimson cheek made Squall chuckle to himself. Selphie was by the stream, collecting water in bottles for their journey the following day.  
  
"Do any of them know what's going on? I almost envy them. Here, they just have to follow my orders, they don't have to think what our plans are, where to go now."  
  
Squall shook his head, trying to clear it of all thoughts. As he did this, he became aware of a presence behind him. He spun around to find Rinoa standing behind him.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough," was the only reply he received. "Can I sit down?" He gave a slight nod, and shifted over slightly, making room for her. "I just wanted to thank you."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"If I wasn't here, there's no way you'd have been resting right now. I'm slowing you down."  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"Don't lie to me. I know you were slowing down this morning so that I could keep up with you." She smiled, showing him that she was grateful, not angry.  
  
"I was that obvious, huh?" She laughed at his obvious disappointment. "I guess you were right when you said I was easy to read."   
  
"Actually, I'd like to take that back. You really surprised me today. I didn't think SeeDs could be compassionate, and well,I was quite shocked to see you laugh." He guessed she was referring to the Irvine incident.  
  
"That was a nice punch by the way. Where did you learn that?"  
  
"I watched you hit that soldier remember? I just tried to imitate you." He looked embarrassed.  
  
"Now that's something you don't want to do."  
  
"Are you making a joke Squall Leonhart?" she teased.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Don't like being teased I see?" she said, a mischievous smile on her face.  
  
"Whatever." At this, they both began to laugh, and as their eyes met, they both felt something unique, something they'd never felt before about anyone. He didn't want to break their gaze, as if doing so would break some magical link between them, but Quistis was shouting him.  
  
"Squall!"  
  
"What!" he shouted back impatiently.  
  
"We've got the fire going. You want something to eat?" He turned to Rinoa.  
  
"Shall we?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, you two were looking kinda cosy over there," Irvine said, patting Squall on the back. "You look cute together."  
  
"Shut up Kinneas." Squall took another bite out of the food that had been cooked on the campfire.  
  
"Seriously, though, she's hot. Don't you think so?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"You could really go for someone like that. What do you say Squall?" Irvine winked at him.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Of course, if you don't want her, I'd be more than happy to show her what a real man's love's like, if you know what I mean?"   
  
"You know what Kinneas? I'm glad she hit you." With that Squall stormed off to the opposite side of the campsite.  
  
"Geez, I was just trying to get a rise out of him," Irvine protested to the group of onlookers.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, what were you and Irvine talking about?" Rinoa sat down next to Squall.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Aah come on, it must have been something for you to get all annoyed about it."  
  
"You don't want to know the things that Irvine talks about." Squall told her. "Believe me." She screwed up her nose.  
  
"I think I can guess," she said, trying to stifle a yawn.  
  
"You tired?"  
  
"Yeah," she sighed. "I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life."   
  
"You should get used to it. Tomorrow will be much worse."  
  
"Great," she enthused sarcastically.  
  
"You'll be alright. Most people wouldn't have made it this far without complaining." She began to look proud at his compliment.  
  
"Oh, Squall. I still have your jacket," she suddenly remembered, beginning to take it off.  
  
"Keep it," he insisted, putting his hand on her shoulder, stopping her from slipping the jacket off.  
  
"Thanks." They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say for a time. "Squall?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can you tell me what it's like being in SeeD?" He didn't reply. "Please?"   
  
"Alright," he sighed, relenting. "Well, most people join SeeD when they're very young and train in fighting and magic, as well as normal school lessons like history. Most SeeDs are orphans like me, with nowhere else to go." He looked down to see if she was listening, and found her head settled against his shoulder. She was fast asleep. He smiled at her. She looked so peaceful, shivering in the cold. He put his arm around her, hoping to keep her from the cold, and held her close to him. "Night," he whispered.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Well, exams are finished now, so I will hopefully have more time to update, and hopefully the updates will be longer too.  
Thanks to:  
Dan  
Renegade Seraph  
Rinoa Heartilly  
Mariko  
Angelprinczess29  
Starlight  
Riona  
Rinoa Leonhart73  
Alexandris Roses 


	10. Travelling

Chapter 10  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Squall awoke to the bustling sounds of his team clearing away the remains of the fire that had burned out overnight.   
  
"Quistis, do we have to do this?" Zell whined. "I hate cleaning."  
  
"We know. We've all seen the state of your dorm. It looks as though it's been bombed." This last remark provoked a small laugh from Irvine. "And don't you start, Irvine. You're not even helping." She picked up two plastic bottles from the floor, and through them at him roughly, hitting him square in the chest. "Go and make yourself useful. Fetch some water." Zell smirked as Irvine slinked off to do as he was told.  
  
"Yeah, you tell them Quistis," screamed Selphie. Squall cringed. If there had been anyone at all following them, they would certainly have heard that.  
  
"Selphie. Keep it down," he ordered, urgently.  
  
"Why? So we don't wake Rinoa up?" she teased. "Isn't she adorable when she's sleeping? Well, you obviously think so." She winked at him, before returning to help Quistis.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. I want you to keep quiet in case someone's following us," he insisted.  
  
"Hee, you're blushing," she giggled. "You like her." To his embarassment, his cheeks were feeling warm, and he was sure that he was blushing, although he had no idea why.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"See, see, I'm right. Aren't I right Quistis?" She tugged on the older woman's arm.  
  
"Well, I don't know about that, but I suggest that you drop it, unless you want a very grumpy Commander for the rest of the day."  
  
"Ok, but I know I'm right."  
  
"Whatever," was the only reply he could manage.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
He hadn't noticed that Rinoa was asleep until Selphie had begun to tease him. He found watching her strangely compelling, the soft sound of her breathing captivated him.  
  
"To tell the truth, I guess she is kind of adorable when she's sleeping." He smiled as she stirred slightly, before settling back down to sleep. "Wait, what am I thinking? It's not as if I like her or anything. Is it?" He shook his head. "No."  
  
"Squall, we'll need to set out soon," Quistis reminded him. "It's well past dawn." He nodded, taking one last look at the peaceful form of Rinoa.  
  
"It's time to go," he whispered gently into her ear.  
  
"What?" she asked groggily, opening her eyes and rubbing the sleep from them in an effort to wake up.  
  
"I said it's time to go."  
  
"Fine," she said, not wanting to complain about the early start. She stood up slowly, stretching.  
  
"You can bathe in the stream. It slows down behind those trees over there. There's a nice little lake. Don't worry, it's very private," Selphie told her. "You look like you need waking up anyway."  
  
"But I don't want to be any trouble. I'll just be holding you up if I do," said Rinoa.  
  
"No, don't worry about it. We're not going to be ready for a while yet the speed that these two are going." Selphie pointed towards Zell and Irvine, who were trying to sneak away from the campsite.  
  
"Get back to work," ordered Quistis. They both hung their heads and sighed in unison.  
  
"You're sure?" Rinoa asked Squall. He nodded.  
  
"Hey Squall. Don't you think someone should go with her?" asked Irvine. Squall didn't reply, shooting Irvine a deathly glare instead. "Hey, hey, don't look at me like that. I just mean someone should go with her in case she gets attacked or something."  
  
"I hate to say it Squall, but I think Irvine's got a point," said Quistis. "She might be in danger on her own."  
  
"See, someone should go with her. And seen as you obviously don't want to, I think it should be me to go." Irvine gave Rinoa a wink. "I'll take care of you baby."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere with him."  
  
"Fine. I'll go." Squall finally gave in and walked with Rinoa to the small lake beyond the trees. He sat down at the shore, his back turned to Rinoa. The only indication he had that she was bathing was the slight splashing sounds from behind him.  
  
"Erm, Squall?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks for this."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Being here. I'm quite sure that if Irvine came, he wouldn't be the perfect gentleman like you are." Squall said nothing, his cheeks turning bright red. "Are you blushing?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes you are," she replied, turning his face to look at her. Instinctively, he shut his eyes. She laughed. "But you really need to lighten up." Suddenly, she tugged his shoulders and he fell backwards into the water. "See?"  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?" he shouted, trying to keep the anger in his voice.  
  
"That's it, just let anything out," she giggled. He thrashed about in the water, still with his eyes shut, trying to find the edge. When he finally did, he dragged himself slowly out of the water and shook his head, trying to get the water out of his hair, the droplets of water hitting Rinoa in the face. "Hey, stop that," she protested. He smirked slightly.  
  
"Hurry up. We have to go soon." Sighing, she reluctantly got out of the water and got dressed. "Want me to stay here and guard you while it's your turn," she joked.  
  
"I think, I can take care of myself," he replied, not knowing that she was only teasing.  
  
"Fine, I'll be back at the campsite," she said, leaving Squall alone.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The moment Squall emerged from behind the trees, everybody was ready to leave.  
  
"Make sure you have everything," reminded Quistis.  
  
"Yes, yes Quistis. This is the third time that you've made us check," groaned Zell. "We have everything. Nobody will find any trace of the campsite, so stop worrying."  
  
"I am not worrying. I am just being careful. It wouldn't do you any harm to be more careful now and again," she admonished.  
  
"Are we all ready," asked Squall, taking charge of the situation. They all nodded in reply. "Let's go then. Quistis, which direction are we heading in."  
  
"That way, I think," she replied, setting off at a fast-paced walk.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Rinoa had fallen in line with Squall, who brought up the rear of the party.  
  
"You know, you should really stay in the middle of everybody. It's safer there."  
  
"I feel safe with you though. Besides, here, I'm further away from Irvine." He laughed.   
  
"You know, he isn't always that bad. Well, some of the time he isn't."  
  
"I'm not sure if I believe that."  
  
"He just tries to act like that to impress Selphie."  
  
"You really think that?"  
  
"No, Quistis and Zell think that." He brushed the hair out of his eyes.  
  
"Sorry. How silly of me to think that you could be bothered about your friends."  
  
"Look, Rinoa. That's the kind of thing that gets in the way of judgement on a mission. You follow the orders exactly, even if that means compromising the safety of one of your friends. Forming close attachments to them is pointless."  
  
"No, it's an important part of being alive. Nobody can live alone. Everybody has to have somebody to rely on."  
  
"Not me."  
  
"Following orders and doing what you're told isn't a life you know. You need to learn to relax. You're way too responsible for someone who's still a teenager."  
  
"This is the path that I chose. It wasn't as if I was forced into it."  
  
"That isn't the point. I mean, have you ever gone out and had fun, or stayed up really late at a party? Have you even had a girlfirend?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Never?" He shook his head. "You've missed out on so much of your life."  
  
"I really don't see what I'm missing."  
  
"Right, that's it. When this is all over I'm taking you out. We're going to have fun. You scared?" Her eyes flickered wickedly.  
  
"Do you think it's fun to tease me?" he sighed.  
  
"Maybe a little. It's good for you."  
  
"Yeah right."  
  
"It is. I've seen you laugh after all. Now how often do you do that?"  
  
"I'm not even sure I did until recently." He smiled at her.  
  
"See. I told you it was good for you."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"And there you go being all moody again."  
  
"Hey will you two keep up back there?" shouted Irvine. Squall looked up, shocked at the distance that had opened up between the head of the party and himself and Rinoa. He had been too intent on listening to her conversation to notice that his pace had dropped and that they were falling behind.  
  
"Sorry, that was probably my fault," Rinoa admitted, beginning to walk faster.  
  
"No, I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"So, how long until we arrive? Not that I'm complaining or anything," she insisted. "I'm just curious."  
  
"It shouldn't be long now," he replied. "And you shouldn't worry about complaining. Have you been listsening to Irvine and Zell for the last couple of hours?" She shook her head. "Listen."  
  
"Quistis, are we nearly there? We've been walking for too long. I want a rest," moaned Irvine.  
  
"Oh, you two are like a pair of kids. Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?" she mocked.  
  
"See?" pointed out Squall.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I don't think any less of you just because you're not a SeeD you know?"  
  
"You don't?"  
  
"No. In a way, I envy you. You fight for what you believe in. You make your own choices. Life's more difficult that way." As if he was ashamed at admitting this, he quickened his pace, leaving Rinoa in his wake, staring at him in wonder.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Everybody. We're here," announced Quistis, rounding the brow of a hill and stopping to take in the view.  
  
"Wow, this place is so much bigger than Balamb," exclaimed Selphie in awe. There seemed to be a great deal of activity all around the Garden, as opposed to the rather sedate atmosphere at their own Garden.  
  
They walked down the hill and into the front gate.  
  
"Wow, this place really is huge," agreed Zell.  
  
"Yes. It is very different from what you're used to, but it has it's own charm," said Quistis as they walked through a further set of gates.   
  
"Do you know the headmaster here?" asked Squall, getting back to business.  
  
"Yes. I've met him on many occasions over the years."  
  
"Go and see him then. It'll be better if he knows you," reasoned Squall. "That, and I don't want to have to talk to him," he thought to himself.  
  
"Yes, sir," she said obediantly, aware that this was a public place and so she tried to convey a sense of discipline. "You should stay in the waiting room until I return. It's up the stairs and straight ahead." Squall simply nodded as Quistis left for the headmaster's office.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Geez, how long is she gonna be?" complained Selphie.  
  
"These things take time. There's paperwork for everything that will have to be filled in," informed Squall. "Besides, the Commander here will need to be briefed on the current situation. Caraway could come after them too."  
  
"Well, I just hope they hurry up. I hate waiting around."  
  
"Be patient Selphie."  
  
"So, is your Garden not like this?" asked Rinoa, hoping that the conversation would stop the boredom.  
  
"No," said Zell. "Ours is smaller and quieter I guess."  
  
"And much prettier," offered Selphie.  
  
"Galbadian SeeDs have much more in common with the military than we do," explained Squall. "The way they are trained is very different. They concentrate on fighting as a unit, whereas we are encouraged to fight alone. They also have ranks similar to that in the military."  
  
"So everybody in this place is trained like drones? Is that what you're saying?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"I guess." At that moment, Quistis entered the room, halting any further conversation.  
  
"The headmaster says that all communications are down due to the storm, so they can't contact Balamb to warn them. However, they will lend us a car and we can make it there ourself."  
  
"We'll have to take a boat through Dollet I presume?" asked Squall. She nodded.  
  
"The headmaster kindly gave us enough money to pay for the boat trip."  
  
"That's if the sea isn't too rough," Squall pointed out.  
  
"It's a risk we have to take."  
  
"Do we leave now then?" asked Zell, anxious to get home.  
  
"They're preparing the vehicle for us now. We should get something ot eat before we go."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"Alright. Hotdogs," exclaimed Zell, who swiftly found himself being elbowed in the stomach by Selphie.  
  
"Well," said Rinoa brightly, "Let's go."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, man. Eating properly feels so good," Zell uttered between mouthfulls.  
  
"I wouldn't call six hotdogs a proper meal," Quistis told him.  
  
"Ahh Quistis, let him have some fun for once," said Irvine. "We all need a break."  
  
"What's the matter, Rinoa?" asked Squall. "You haven't touched your food. You've just been picking at it."  
  
"I'm not hungry."  
  
"You really should eat."  
  
"I guess I just don't feel like it because I'm worried. I've got all of you into a lot of trouble. I can't help but feeling guilty. You could all get hurt and it would all be my fault."  
  
"Don't say that. If Caraway really wants to get rid of SeeD, he would have found a way no matter what. So you're not to blame at all."  
  
"You really think that?"  
  
"Yeah. We're all just pawns in his game. We can't blame each other." Rinoa was about to speak, but was interrupted by the PA system.  
  
"Could the students from Balamb please report to the parking lot, your vehicle is ready."  
  
"Alright, let's go," shouted Zell, punching the air. Squall merely shook his head, as he lead the team towards the parking lot.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks to:  
Dan  
Mariko  
Rinoa Leonhart73  
Honor  
Riona  
CTHKSI  
Reeona  
Rebekka  
Dream ][ Walker 


	11. Truth or Dare?

Chapter 11 

_"Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall.  Ninety nine bottles of beer."_

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" thought Squall.

_"You take one down, you pass it round.  Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall."_

"Why couldn't they have given us two cars?"  Squall began to bang his head against the back door, trying anything to drown out the sound of Selphie, Zell and Irvine singing.  He didn't understand why Galbadia Garden had decided to lend the SeeDs a van instead of two cars.  Quistis had offered to drive and had therefore spared herself the torment of hours and hours of songs.  Rinoa sat quietly next to Squall, obviously deep in thought.

_"Ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall.  Ninety eight bottles of beer."_

"Will you be quiet?" Squall shouted.  The three SeeDs stopped singing, shocked at the sudden outburst by their Commander.  A stifled laugh came from Rinoa.

"Sorry, Squall.  We were just having fun," replied Selphie, obviously downhearted.

"Yeah, Squall.  Let her have her fun," said Irvine sticking up for her.  Squall said nothing, which Selphie interpreted as a cue to resume singing.

_"You take one down, you pass it round.  Ninety seven bottles of beer on the wall."_

Squall hit his forehead with his hand in frustration, which provoked a laugh from Rinoa.

"What's so funny?" he growled.

"Nothing," she laughed.  "It's just that we haven't been going for five minutes yet, and you lot are already at each other's throats."

"Glad you find it funny," he replied dryly.

"Oh, don't start getting offended.  You know I'm only joking."

"Whatever."

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Saying whatever.  You always say it."  They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the singing of Selphie, Zell and Irvine.  "Squall, can I ask you something?" 

"What is it?"

"What will happen to me?  You know after we reach Balamb Garden?"  He shrugged.

"I guess when the Headmaster realises what's really going on, and that Caraway is the enemy, he'll let you go home."

"Is that it?  You just send me home?"

"Well, where else do you want to go?"

"I mean, what if they try and get me again?  Caraway knows where I live."

"Well, you could always move house."

"I know him.  That won't keep him away from me for long.  He has spies everywhere."

"Well, what do want me to do?  I don't even know for sure if the Headmaster will just let you go."

"I don't know," she sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"Look.  If you want me too, I guess I could ask if you could stay in Garden for the time being."

"You'd do that?  Thank you," she gasped, throwing her arms around him.  Seeing how uncomfortable he looked, she quickly pulled away.  "Sorry."

"Whatev…"  Squall checked himself.  "It's alright."  She smiles at him, at which point he felt his cheeks become warm.  He was so sure that he was about to blush, that he turned away from her.

"Hey, everyone," exclaimed Selphie, obviously bored of her song.  "I've got a great game."

"Cool, a game," enthused Zell.  "What is it?"

"I spy."  She jumped up and down, clearly excited.

"Great, that's all I need," muttered Squall under his breath.  He felt a sharp elbow in his side, and looked up to see Rinoa glaring evilly at him.

"Don't be so miserable," she hissed.

"Erm, Selph?  How are we going to play I spy if there aren't any windows?" asked Irvine, confused.

"Silly.  We can look out of the windows in the back doors."  Selphie, Zell and Irvine all crowded around the two back windows, near Squall and Rinoa's seats, squashing them against the door.  "I'm starting, I'm starting.  Right, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with G"

"Grass," screamed Zell at the top of his voice, causing Irvine to put his hands over both ears.

"That really hurt!" he screamed.

"Wuss," replied Zell.  Irvine looked as though he was about to hit Zell, but quickly reconsidered when he remembered that Zell was Garden's martial arts expert.

"Stop it children," admonished Selphie, trying to mimic Quistis' instructor tone of voice.  "Now, Zell.  It's your turn."

"Erm, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with S"

"Sky," drawled Squall, boredom showing through in his voice.

"Aww man, how did you get that?"

"The only thing out there is grass and sky.  We're in the middle of nowhere," he explained.  "Now if you could please move away from the window, I'd like to be able to breath again."

"I guess we'll have to think of another game," sighed Irvine.

"Truth or dare," announced Selphie, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Count me out," Squall insisted.

"No way, Commander.  You're not getting out of this one."

"Alright, who's first?" asked Zell.

"Seen as you asked, you can go first.  Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"I've got a good one," announced Irvine.  "What did the Headmaster want to speak to you about before we left?"

"No way.  I am not answering that."  He folded his arms and turned away, determined not to say anything.

"Aww, Zell," whined Selphie.  "You have to tell.  I'll make you."  She started prodding him in the stomach.  "Tell, tell, tell, tell…"

"Ouch.  Alright, alright.  Just stop that.  If you must know, I was using my T-board in the halls and I accidentally ended up the girl's bathroom okay?"  The group burst into fits of laughter.  Even Squall managed a slight smirk.  "Don't tell anyone, please?" 

"Fine, but for protesting so much, you have to have two turns," Selphie ordered.  "Truth or dare?"

"Seen as you were so mean last time, I'll take a dare."

"Fine.  In that case, I have a great dare for you Zell.  You know our old physics instructor?"

"Ewwww," shivered Zell in reply.  

"You have to ask her out next time we're in Garden."

"Selphie, you are evil," said Irvine proudly.  "That was one impressive dare."

"Selph! I would rather face a thousand T-rexaurs than put up with her," Zell moaned.  "I can't believe you'd do that."

"Well, you know me."  Selphie flashed him an innocent smile and turned to Irvine.  "You next."

"Truth," announced Irvine.  "I don't want you thinking of a dare."

"I've got one for Irvine," exclaimed Zell.  "How do you really feel about Selphie?"

"Zell," he hissed.  "You know I can't say that?"

"I think you'll find you have to," said Zell smugly.  Rinoa and Squall watched on in amusement, wondering if Irvine would really say.

"Erm, well.  She's nice?" he offered.

"The truth," ordered Zell.

"Fine, she's very nice."

"Hey, I am here you know?" Selphie shouted indignantly.  "I have a name."

"Okay, then," he stuttered.  "Selphie, I, I really like you.  Well, more than like.  Much, much more."  Both Irvine and Selphie looked at the floor, embarrassed and not knowing what to say.  Selphie quickly snapped out of it, looking for another victim.

"I think it's the turn of our glorious Commander, don't you?"

"I'm not playing."

"Don't be such a spoil sport.  Well, I guess that means we can pick for you, and we pick truth."  Selphie moved closer to Squall so that he could no longer ignore her.  "Has anything ever happened between you and Quistis?"

"I told you, I'm not answering anything."

"That means yes, doesn't it?"

"It means I'm not answering."

"It did happen, I know it," Selphie jumped around, clapping her hands, excited at the prospect of a new piece of gossip.

"What happened between you and Quistis?" asked Rinoa, crestfallen.  

"Look, nothing ever happened between me and Quistis, alright?" he shouted.  The rest of the group was taken aback by his sudden show of temper.  

"Sorry," Rinoa muttered sheepishly.

"Look, if you don't believe me, ask Rinoa.  She was the one who told me that Quistis liked me."

"You didn't know?" asked Selphie, astonished.

"No, how the hell was I to know?"

"It was just so obvious.  She's liked you for years.  Even I noticed," said Zell.

"So, do you like her?" enquired Rinoa.

"She's a good instructor and that's all she is to me.  Happy?"

"Not really.  I was looking for some juicier gossip than you being blind and not being able to see what's right in front of you," Selphie said, obviously disappointed.

"Fine we'll ask him another one," suggested Irvine.  "Do you like Rinoa?  You know, _like _Rinoa?"

"Right, that's it.  I've had enough of this."  He banged on the partition separating the driver from the rest of the van.  "Quistis, pull over."  The van ground to a halt and Squall leapt out of the back doors.

"What's wrong, Squall?" Quistis asked, concerned.

"I'm driving," he announced, getting into the driver's seat.

"Wait," shouted Rinoa, who got into the passenger seat next to him.  "You think I'm waiting for my turn?"

"I don't blame you."

"So you don't mind me sitting with you?"

"As long as you don't sing or try to play stupid games."

"Deal," she announced, smiling.  "Are you alright?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"You just seemed pretty annoyed with everyone."

"I don't like childish games."

"That doesn't surprise me.  Childish games can be fun though.  Well, I used to think they were when I was little.  Let me guess, you never played them?"

"What's the point?"

"It's supposed to be fun."

"Well, it's not my idea of fun."

"What do you do for fun then?"

"I go to the training centre.  Either that, or I study."

"I said for fun Squall.  What do you do for fun?"

"I heard you the first time."

"But, don't you have a hobby or anything?"

"Not really."

"Everyone needs a hobby.  I play the piano and write my own songs.  My mother taught me before she passed away, so every time I play it makes me think of the good times I had with her."

"I guess SeeDs don't really have hobbies."

"Sure they do.  Zell likes T-boards, Irvine likes women, and I can't see Selphie studying all day."

"Fine then, I don't have a hobby."

"There must be something."

"Well, sometimes I draw, but I haven't done that for a long time."

"See, everyone has a hobby.  Can I see some of your pictures when we get to Garden?"

"I don't know, they aren't very good."

"Please?"

"Fine.  I'll show you them."

"Thanks."  Silence ensued for a few minutes, before Selphie, Zell and Irvine began to sing once more.  Squall and Rinoa looked at each other, both sighing at the laughable rendition of _She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain _that resounded through the van.  "Thank Hyne we're here," he muttered.

"Thank Hyne indeed."


	12. Lessons In Life

Chapter 12

The group stood, crestfallen, before a sign laid out on the Dollet shoreline, each reading the message which had hastily been scrawled in white chalk.

"Due to bad weather, there will be no more crossings to Balamb this evening."

"But this is our only was back," protested Zell, voicing the frustration that they all held within.

"There must be another way."  Selphie's voice was full of hope, but even she knew that this was there only chance.

"There's nothing we can do," reasoned Quistis.  "We'll just have to stay at the hotel and get the first boat back in the morning."

"But that might be too late," pointed out Irvine.  "If anything happens to Garden tonight, it'll be our fault."

"How can it possibly be our fault?" argued Quistis.

"Because, instead of trying anything we can to warn them, we'll be holed up in some comfortable hotel room watching TV."  Irvine turned away from her.  "If you can live with the guilt, that's fine.  I can't."

"What do you want us to do, swim?"  She threw up her hands in frustration.  "We're not miracle workers."

"Look guys, arguing isn't going to help us," shouted Selphie.  "So why don't we just calm down and think this through rationally."

"That sounds like something Squall would say," joked Irvine.  "Hey, speaking of Squall, where is he?  They looked around, discovering no sign of him.

"Rinoa's gone too," said Zell.

"Now there's a surprise," muttered Quistis under her breath.

"Squall, where are we going?"

"To find a way out of here," came a gruff reply.

"But there aren't any more boats tonight."

"That's just was it says on the sign.  It isn't necessarily the case."  Squall began to check the boats that were grounded on the beach, hoping to find a sign of life on just one of them.  He knew that, as a SeeD, he had more than enough money to persuade any boatman to sail tonight.

"You really want to get home, don't you?" Rinoa asked.

"It's my duty."

"No, it's more than that.  I'm pretty sure that searching every boat for someone who is willing to take us to Balamb is above and beyond the call of duty."

"Not for a SeeD it's not."

"Fine, but there's nobody here.  We've checked every boat.  It's time to admit defeat."  At this, Squall leapt aboard the nearest boat and made his way through the inside of the ship.  When he had found what he was searching for, he ripped off a panel underneath the starting motor.  After a few minutes of re-wiring, the engine sputtered into life.

"I never admit defeat.  Come on, let's get the others.  Hopefully, they'll have finished arguing."

"Squall, this is stealing," she hissed.  "We could get in real trouble for this."

"It's necessary.  I had hoped there would be another way, but there isn't."

"It's still wrong."  He sighed, moving on to the outside of the ship.  He saw that Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine were heading towards the boat, alerted by the sound of the engine running.  He also noticed the booth near to the boat, advertising pleasure cruises around the Galbadian coastline.  He sighed, pulling a large amount of gil from his pocket and depositing it in the booth.  "You happy now?" he asked Rinoa.  She smiled at him but offered no reply.

"Hey, why didn't I think of this?" asked Zell as he boarded the boat.

"Hmm, I wonder," replied Selphie sarcastically.  When everyone was safely on board, Squall studied the map that he had found, and steered the boat in the direction of Balamb.  

"Hey, look guys," screamed Selphie at the top of her voice.  "I found some food."  She had started to explore the boat, and had discovered the room where guests would usually eat their meals.  Zell and Irvine stampeded towards Selphie, desperate for something to eat.

"Aww, man.  They don't have any hotdogs," muttered Zell dejectedly.  

"Looks like you'll have to settle for cereal," suggested Irvine.  Within five minutes, Zell, Irvine, Selphie and Quistis, were happily tucking in to whatever food they could find.  Rinoa sat with them, not eating.  

"Hey, Quistis, I checked out the cabins before and I call top bunk," screamed Selphie.

"Fine, fine.  You feel the movement of the boat less on the bottom bunk anyway."  

Hearing this, Zell and Irvine took one look at each other before shouting, "I call bottom bunk," in unison.

"They have a history of sea sickness," Selphie explained to Rinoa, who nodded her head.

"I said that first, didn't I Quistis?" asked Irvine.

"No, I did," butted in Zell.

"Just settle this later, you two.  I would like to be able to eat in peace," she replied.

"Erm, have any of you guys seen Squall?" asked Rinoa, breaking her silence.

"Oh, that's it.  Do you have to follow him everywhere?" screamed Quistis at the top of her voice.

"Hey Quistis, take it easy."  Selphie tried to calm her down.

"I had to listen to you all in the back of the van yesterday talking about me and Squall.  As if it isn't bad enough to hear him say that he doesn't want me, I have to hear you all insinuating that he likes Rinoa.  And he doesn't deny it.  How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Sorry, Quistis.  We…we had no idea you could hear us," Selphie apologized.

"Look, this is all our fault," reasoned Zell.  "We brought it up.  We were the ones being insensitive.  It's not Rinoa's fault.  She didn't deserve that outburst."  Quistis seemed to contemplate this for a few moments, before sighing heavily.

"You're right, Zell.  I'm sorry, Rinoa."

But it was too late.  She was gone.

Rinoa fled onto the deck, out into the freezing cold weather, hoping that nobody would follow her out.  She was trying her best to hold back the tears that seemed so determined to form, taking in deep breaths of the cool, sea air.

"How dare she say that to me?  She had no right."  Feeling the wind whip through her hair and sting her face, calmed her temper a little.

"I guess it was understandable.  I mean, she has liked Squall for a long time.  But it felt as if she was blaming me for getting in the way.  That's not true.  If Squall had feelings for her, they would have been together long before now.  That isn't my fault."  She spun round, hearing somebody behind her, praying that it wasn't Quistis.  To her relief, she found Selphie.

"She wants to apologise you know?"

"Does she?" Rinoa tried her best to make it sound as though she didn't care.

"She just didn't know how you would react.  This was all my fault for bringing up the subject in the van before.  She overheard, and well…I think she's just jealous of you."

"What?  Jealous of me?" Rinoa aked, obviously astounded.  "What for?"

"Well, it's plain to see that you like him, and he hasn't given you the cold shoulder yet."

"I don't know what you're talking about.  I don't like him, not in that way.  Now, could you please leave me alone?"  Selphie complied, seeing that Rinoa was still upset about the incident.

"That wasn't a lie, right?  I mean, I told Selphie the truth, didn't I?"  She began to walk the deck of the ship, enjoying the fresh air and lack of company.  "Then why do I feel so guilty?  Why does it feel like that isn't the truth?  Do I…no, that's not possible.  Then what is it I feel towards him?  I can't explain it, I've never felt this way before, but surely it can't be that.  I mean, he's cold and a loner.  I'm not even sure if he knows how to have fun, or whether he's even had a chance to.  Still, being around him brings me so much comfort.  From the first moment I met him, I knew he wouldn't hurt me, and that makes no sense.  I mean, he's a SeeD.  A SeeD sent to kidnap me.  How could I fall for him?"

Squall sat on the bow of the ship, his eyes scanning the horizon, watching the sun set over the ocean, making the water below glow crimson.  Sunset and sunrise had always been a comfort to him throughout his life.  No matter how bad things became, the world would always go on, day would always turn into night, and night would give in to the daylight.  It was the eternal cycle, it would never be broken.  It had always given him hope.  Yet, no matter how many times before he had gazed at the setting sun, he had never truly appreciated its beauty until now.  There had never been any beauty in his life before now.  His current situation was so foreign to him.  For the last few days, he had been protecting someone, fighting to save them.  It had replaced the senseless violence and killing that he had been a part of in the past.  For once in his life, he could feel good about himself.  He was protecting somebody, and in turn, protecting his home.  He had been reluctant to tell Rinoa just how much Garden really meant to him.  They had taken him in when he had nobody else to turn to, and contrary to what everybody else believed, they had not sucked the humanity out of him.  It was merely buried, deep beneath the surface.  He wasn't just the mindless drone that people thought he had become, that Rinoa thought he had become.  He had proved them all wrong, he had proved her wrong.  He wasn't doing this because somebody was paying him to.  He wasn't even under orders to do this.  He was doing it because he wanted to.  He wanted to protect his home, and even if he hadn't realized it before, he wanted to protect Rinoa.

"After all, it's partly my fault that she's in this situation.  Maybe Caraway would have gotten to her without my involvement, but nobody can know that for sure.  Nobody can predict the future, right?  There are no guarantees."

He sighed, pushing back the stray locks of hair that had fallen into his eyes, and gazed once more out to sea, lost deep within his own thoughts and worries about what would happen when they reached Balamb.

"What if the Headmaster blames us for all this?  What if he thinks we didn't act accordingly?  After all, we deliberately disobeyed orders.  Who am I kidding?  I disobeyed orders.  I'll take the blame for all this myself.  It wasn't their fault.  I mean, I am in charge of the mission, they all call me Commander for Hyne's sake.  They were just following my orders.  I'll make sure that Headmaster Cid knows that I acted on my own, and all of this was my idea.  I just hope he doesn't do anything to Rinoa.  I hope he doesn't send her to Caraway.  I told her everything would be alright.  I told her she could stay in Garden, and that she would be safe.  I don't want that to be a lie."

Guilt swept through him at the thought that he might have lied to her.  It frightened him to think that he might have betrayed her trust.

"Why do I feel like this?  She's just a client.  I've worked for hundreds of clients before now, what's so different about her?  Maybe it's just because she's the first client I've worked for that I actually respect.  She doesn't fight for money or political power, she fights for the freedom of her townspeople.  It just goes to show how many lies we're fed about the resistance groups.  They aren't ruthless maniacs with no respect for law and order like I had been told.  They were just ordinary people who stood up for their rights which had been taken away from them by force.  Maybe she was right when she called SeeD murderers.  I just don't know anymore.  I wouldn't think that way about any of the individuals I know, but as a whole, maybe SeeD are just highly paid murderers."

He sighed, finally realizing that all of his life, he had never once had a chance to be himself, to follow his own dreams.  Sparing Rinoa was the closest he had ever come to being an individual, and to being himself.  

"Maybe it wasn't me who saved her.  Maybe she was the one who saved me from myself."

He sat up suddenly, as a stunning realization hit him full force.

"Am I falling for her?"

"What are you thinking?"  Squall snapped out of his trance at the sound of her voice.

"Nothing really.  Just watching the sunset."  He turned to look at her, noticing that she seemed upset about something.  "Care to join me?"

"Sure."  She sat down next to him.  "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes.  And I never noticed before today?" he muttered.  "How many other things have I missed out on?" he thought to himself, wondering what might have been.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," he replied, realizing that he was slipping back into his thoughts again.  "Still cold?" he asked, jokingly when he noticed that she still wore his jacket.

"A little."

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"  Squall was shocked to find that he wasn't asking this out of courtesy, or because he thought it would be the right thing to do.  He actually cared about her reply.

"It's nothing really."  She looked into his stormy blue eyes and saw that he was genuinely concerned.  "Just something Quistis said."

"Which was?"  He pressed her for the information.  He didn't want anyone on his team to be giving her a hard time. 

"Just something about you not wanting her."

"Why did that make you upset?"

"She turned it back around on to me.  Made it out to be my fault."  She sighed, holding her head in her hands.  "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"Don't be.  You're not the cause of any trouble."  To her amazement, Squall grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.  "It's not your fault."  She looked up at him, shocked, causing him to become nervous.  He quickly retracted his hand.  "Erm…sorry.  I shouldn't have done that."  She smiled at him, and pulled his hand back, slipping her fingers between his. 

"Thank you," she whispered, almost as if she was afraid to spoil the moment.

"For what?" he asked, gazing down at their linked hands.

"For caring.  For making me feel better.  For everything."  Noticing his fixation on their hands, she sighed slightly.  "What's the matter Squall?  You don't like this?"  To her surprise, he shook his head and smiled.

"Just not used to it, that's all."  She smiled in return, not knowing what to say to this.  Sensing that she was unsure of how to continue, Squall decided to change the subject.  "So, how did Quistis make you feel that you were to blame?"  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized how tactless they were.  "I'm sorry, you don't have to…"  Before he could finish his apology, Rinoa answered.

"She thinks that you like me."

"Oh," was all he could think of to say.

"She overheard the game of truth or dare and got really upset when you said you didn't have any feelings for her.  It just made it worse that they asked you about me and you didn't answer.  I was going to try and explain to her that it was just because you were sick of all the questions that you didn't want to answer but she was just so angry.  Well, there was that and the fact that you were probably too embarrassed to say you didn't like me when I was sat right next to you."  This was met with silence.  "Squall?"  More silence.  "You'll tell her the truth won't you?"  She moved closer to him to make sure that he was listening to her.  He lifted his head in order to look her in the eye.  Their faces were now just inches apart, and he could feel her soft, warm breath against his skin.  The feeling was intoxicating.  He never knew how it felt to be close to someone and his mind was reeling with all the new sensations.  "Squall?" she prompted.

"I don't think I should tell her the truth.  She isn't going to like it."  He leaned forward slightly, giving Rinoa enough time to move away if she wished, and giving himself enough time to pluck up the courage to move that little bit closer.  He found it ironic that he had spent so much of his life plunging himself into battle, watching those around him fall to the ground, dead, and yet it took so much courage for him to do what other men didn't think twice about.  He took a deep breath, and moved closer, letting his lips brush against hers.  He shivered at how gentle and soft her lips could be, and longed for more.  She obliged, kissing him softly.  His was a feeling of ecstasy, one he had never known before.

A few metres away stood the lone figure of Quistis Trepe.  She had come to apologise to Rinoa, to tell her that it wasn't her fault.  Quistis had believed that she had misjudged Rinoa, but as she watched the scene that unfolded before her, she found her worst fears coming true.

A lone tear wound its way down her cheek, hitting the deck of the boat as she turned and headed back inside.

Squall had been lost deep inside her eyes, inside her kiss.  When the realization finally dawned upon him of what was happening, he pulled away as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry, Rinoa.  I can't do this.  I just can't."  He turned away, not being able to look her in the eye.

"Squall?"  She felt herself close to tears, sure that he was going to reject her.

"I can't put you through this."

"What do you mean?"

"Look."  He held his hands out towards her.  See how stained with blood they are.  They will never be clean.  They will never be fit to touch you, to hold you.  Look at who I am?  I've killed."

"I don't care," she whispered, caressing both of his hands.  "In time they will come clean."

"That can never happen.  My past is too tainted with the blood of others."

"I don't care."

"How can you not?"

"We all have our destiny.  There are only so many paths in life that we can choose to walk.  You took the only available path to you.  It was meant to be.  And that path led you here.  To someone willing to forget about your past, and focus on the future instead.  Are you just going to walk away?"  She stood up, looking directly at him, waiting for him to answer.

"All I can do is hurt."

"I don't believe that."

"It's all I've ever done."

"Then it's time for you to learn something different."  She leaned upwards and kissed him deeply.  Unable to resist any longer, he returned her kiss passionately.


	13. New Beginnings

Chapter 13 

"Aw, man, I'm gonna hurl."  

Squall and Rinoa quickly broke their kiss, startled by the sudden interruption.  Squall stared directly down at his feet, shuffling them uncomfortably.  Rinoa looked away in disgust as Zell ran to the railings at the edge of the deck and was promptly sick over the side.  He turned around slowly, clutching his stomach as if he was in pain.

"Hey, guys.  I didn't see you out here."  Both Squall and Rinoa breathed a huge sigh of relief when the realised that Zell hadn't witnessed them kissing.

"Are you alright?" asked Rinoa, trying hard to suppress the giggles that longed to appear.

Yeah, sorry about that," he cringed.  "I think I ate too much."

"That doesn't surprise me," muttered Squall under his breath.

"So anyway, what were you guys doing out here?" Zell asked.

"Nothing," they both immediately replied in unison, causing Zell to eye them suspiciously.

"Oh, come on.  Tell me," he pleaded.  "It's so obvious when you lie, Squall."

Squall fixed him with a glare, before replying to Zell's accusation.  "I wasn't lying.  What would you know about me?"

"Hey, I'm older and wiser.  I know a lot more than you think."

"You're older than Squall?" asked Rinoa, not quite believing Zell's statement.  

"Sure.  He's the baby of the bunch.  Ain't that right Squall?"  Zell hardly had time to finish his sentence before he found Squall fist connecting with his stomach. "Aww, geez that hurt."  He clutched his stomach even tighter, doubling over in pain.

"Hmph.  I only tapped you.  Now I see why you're nickname's Chicken Wuss."  Zell was about to reply, when he saw the anger in Squall's eyes and decided that conceding defeat would be the better option.  "Okay, I'm sorry.  Will you just tell me what was going on?"

"I told you.  Nothing was going on," Squall replied through gritted teeth.  

"Hey, were you guys…you know?" asked Zell, a look of realisation dawning his face.

"What?" asked Squall.  "Were we what?"

"Were you…_you know_," replied Zell, winking.  Squall's blushes at this comment were saved, as Rinoa rescued him from the awkward situation.

"Is that Balamb?" she asked, pointing to a small sliver of land that was gradually emerging from above the horizon, only visible thanks to the dwindling light of the sunset.  

"Yes.  Zell, go and get the others.  Tell them we're here."

The walk from Balamb was spent predominantly in an uncomfortable silence.  Quistis and Rinoa had not said a word to each other since the incident on the boat, and the hostility between could be sensed by all present.  Squall was no stranger to silence, and even he felt slightly awkward.  Zell, Selphie and Irvine could usually be relied upon to lighten the mood in any situation, but even they kept quiet, aside from the occasional grumble of protest from Zell's stomach.

It was a relief for all when the finally arrived at the gates of Balamb Garden, to be greeted by a guard.

"It's out of hours.  Nobody is allowed entry to Garden."

Squall stepped forward, ready to reply.

"It's urgent that I meet with Headmaster Cid immediately."

"Identify yourself."

"Leonhart, Squall.  ID number 137385."

"State your purpose."

"There may be a danger to Garden.  I'm not at liberty to divulge the information to you, I will only talk directly to the Headmaster."

"Who is accompanying you."

"Instructor Quistis Trepe, SeeDs Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas and Selphie Tilmitt, and Rinoa Heartilly, my client."  Squall thought it would be easier to refer to Rinoa as his client than to try to explain the truth to the guard without revealing any information that should be kept to himself.

"Go right in," the guard said, satisfied, opening the gate.  The group entered, heading straight for the main corridor.

"I'll go and see the Headmaster now.  The rest of you should get some sleep.  I'd imagine he'd want to talk to the rest of you in the morning."  Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine nodded, before heading off down the corridor.

"What about me?" asked Rinoa.

"You should probably come with me and speak to the Headmaster."  He led her onto the nearby elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.  As he stepped out, he noticed that the secretary was still at her desk.  That meant that the Headmaster was still in his office.  She looked up from her paperwork and batted her eyelids towards Squall, hitching her skirt up slightly, showing as much leg as she could, prompting a stern glare from Rinoa.

"What can I do for you?" she cooed.  Squall sighed.  He had been expecting this.

"I need to see the Headmaster right away."

"Anything for you."  She smiled sweetly, opening the office door for Squall, but letting it swing back into Rinoa's path.

"Squall?  What are you doing back here?" asked the Headmaster as soon as he entered the office.  "I hadn't received word from General Caraway that the package had been delivered."  He pulled out two chairs, indicating that the pair should sit down.  "And who's this?"  Squall did not answer the Headmaster's last question, instead, he concentrated on fully explaining the situation.

"The kidnapping itself went as planned, but soon we found ourselves in difficulty.  We were trapped in a storm, which caused the cancellation of all trains from Timber.  Our particular train was involved in an accident, meaning that we had to travel on foot to Galbadia Garden.  During this time, we were attacked by a number of soldiers working for General Caraway.  They were specifically directed to attack us and return Miss Heartilly to General Caraway.  In addition to this, Miss Heartilly, who is Caraway's daughter, has seen documents detailing his desire to eliminate SeeD."

"Are you suggesting that this whole mission was a set up?"

"Yes, sir.  The most logical explanation for this is that Caraway wanted to be rid of SeeD, and painting us as his daughter's kidnappers would give him an excuse to do so."

"But why would he want to be rid of SeeD?  We have always completed his missions to the best standards possible.  He has been one of our best clients and has never had any complaints about us before."

"May I speak?" asked Rinoa, nervously.  The Headmaster nodded, trying to put her at ease.  "I didn't read anything in the documents about his motives, but I have often overheard him talking about the need to eliminate all threats to the Galbadian military.  Unfortunately, I know him well enough to understand that his desire for power supersedes any feelings of loyalty that he may have."

"Sir.  He knows very well about the expansion of SeeD forces in the past few years."

"Yes," the Headmaster agreed.  "And he did seem rather interested in the new Garden at Trabia.  It is possible that, in a few years time, our forces will surpass that of Galbadia in both numbers and prowess."

"Sir.  If I may ask, what happens now?  His original plan failed, but there may well be a backup plan to contend with."

"Yes, that is of great concern to me.  I will need to consider my actions carefully.  We will discuss this fully tomorrow.  Show Miss Heartilly to the guest quarters."  He held out a keycard for Squall.  "I will call for you when required tomorrow.  Dismissed."  Squall could see that Headmaster Cid was worried about the current situation.  He wasn't usually so formal and abrupt when addressing anybody, and his brow was furrowed in a way that Squall had never seen before.  Then again, it was to be expected.  Squall was aware of the effect that this decision could have.  It could mean the difference between the survival of SeeD, and the destruction of it.

"Well, here we are.  This is the guest room.  You just swipe the keycard through the reader and wait for the light to turn green.  That means it unlocked," Squall explained.

"I know how to work one of these," she replied.  "We had them at the Forest Owls headquarters."

"Sorry.  Most people who stay here don't have a clue."  They stared at each other awkwardly for a short time.  "Well, I'd better get going.  My room is just two doors down," he said, pointing at a nearby dorm.  "So, I'll be there if you need anything."  Usually, Squall hated the fact that his quarters were in such close proximity to the guest rooms, but this time, he felt it was a blessing.

"Night then," said Rinoa, kissing him gently on the lips.

"Night," he whispered in reply.

Despite the fact that Squall hadn't slept properly in days, he found himself lying awake, thinking.  Thinking about how his world had been turned upside down in just a few short days, thinking about what was going to happen now, thinking about her.  He still felt as if he was shivering from the kiss they had shared earlier, his first.  He used to be ridiculed about the fact that he wasn't particularly interested in girls.  Even Zell and Irvine had told him that he shouldn't be waiting around for someone special.

"The first kiss is always terrible," Irvine would say.  "So why wait for someone you actually like?"  Squall laughed a little to himself.

"Irvine was wrong.  So very, very wrong."  He smiled, as these thoughts carried him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Squall awoke to the sound of his alarm clock at the customary time of 6.00am.  He sat up, and was about to grab his gunblade from the case by his bed, as he did every morning, when he stopped to think.  

"I do this every day.  I wake up, already dressed, go to the training centre, come back, have a shower, and be changed ready for 8am when I go to eat breakfast.  Is this what I want?  The same routine every day.  Is this what my life's going to be like?  That isn't what I want from life."  

It was then that he made his decision.  Today was going to be different.  Today, he was going to do what he wanted.

However, he was at a loss as to what to do.  He found it difficult to break the habit of a lifetime.  As he searched around his room for something to do, his thoughts drifted to the conversation he had had with Rinoa when he was driving the van to Dollett.  He had told her that her hobby was drawing.  

He opened the draws in his bedside table and pulled out a sketch pad and pencil.  He began to draw the first thing that came into his mind, the sunset that he had been watching from the boat the previous evening.  It was then that he had discovered how unfulfilling his life had been, and he discovered what it was to truly live, and he thought he should capture it.

Once he had finished his drawing, he realised that it was only 6.15.  He would have to find something else to do to kill the time.  

"What's the least likely thing I could do?" he thought to himself.  

Finding the answer, he lay back down on his bed, and went to sleep.

Squall opened his eyes slowly, sure that he had heard a sound from within his room.  

"You look so adorable when you're sleeping," Rinoa giggled, as he squinted at her through blurry eyes.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, sleepily.

"Yeah, about that.  I think you need a new lock."  She grinned sheepishly.  "So, come on then."

"What?"

"You have to take me on a tour of this place?"

"Can't you go by yourself?" he muttered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Don't be silly.  Come on."  She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out of bed.

Squall led Rinoa down one of the many corridors that ran through Balamb Garden.

"So, where are we?" she asked curiously.

"This is the training centre."

"Ooh, that's romantic.  Is this where you take all your girlfriends on first dates?" she joked.

"Girl…girlfriend?" he asked, shocked.

"Oh, Squall.  I'm sorry…I…"

"No, no.  It's not that.  I was just a little surprised to hear it that's all.  Not used to it."  She smiled at him, understanding how nervous he must feel.  And besides, I prefer the library for a first date."  She punched him in the arm, playfully.

"Meanie."

"Come on, let's get something to eat."

"Now that's more like it.  A fancy restaurant, candles on the tables…"

"Actually, I was thinking of the cafeteria."

"No hot dogs today," announced the lady behind the counter.  "That Dincht boy's been in already," she said, shaking her head.

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" asked Rinoa.  Squall smiled at her and ordered a pizza for them both.  They sat down next to each other, to the surprise of the other SeeDs in the room, who stopped and stared at them.  "Why are they looking at me?" she asked.

"Probably because I usually sit on my own in the corner, not talking to anyone."

"It really creeps me out though.  I don't like people staring at me."

"Don't worry about it."

"I just feel like they're talking about me."

"Actually, I...er, think they're talking about us."

"Why?  What are they saying?"

"Why do you seem so bothered about it?  Does it matter that much what other people think?"

"No, I guess not.  But I thought you would be."  Squall smiled.  

"Today, really will be different," he thought.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing.  Just the fact that I'm really going to give them something to talk about," he said, leaning across the table and kissing her.

Quistis stood, nervously, outside the Headmaster's office.  

"Do I really want to go through with this?  I mean, I do believe it's the truth, but maybe I'm just jealous.  He wants her, not me.  Maybe that's why I'm doing this?  No, I'm not that cruel, I'm not the jealous type.  She's just manipulating him.  I saw them kissing.  Squall doesn't do that."

"The Headmaster is ready to see you now," the secretary told her, ushering her into the office.

"Thank you," she replied, confidently striding in.

"Now, you wanted to tell me something Instructor Trepe."

"Yes, sir.  I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."

A/N I would like to say a big thank you to:

Mariko- hope you like the Squinoa moments.

Renegade Seraph- love your new fic. 

Cherry6124- I'm sorry you think Irvine isn't being a gentleman.  I did his character in this way because, when you first meet him in the game he chats up Rinoa and Quistis before he notices Selphie.  He does try to act more like a gentleman as the game goes on, and I tried to convey this in my story.  I don't think I make this a Quistis/Zell fic because of the plot, and I haven't decided about Selphie/Irvine yet.  Seen as you like these pairings, I suggest you read New Beginnings by Rinoa Heartilly, (check my favourites).  It has all these pairings and is beautifully written.

Angelprinczess29- hope you continue On the Ice soon.

Rinoa Leonhart73- hope there was enough romance in there for you.

Gun Blade- you were my 100th reviewer, so thanks a lot.

Riona- thanks very much, and Squinoa does rule.

Sandra Leonhart- sorry for the wait, I've not had much time to write this week.


	14. Betrayal

Chapter 14

"Yes, sir.  I'm afraid I have some rather disturbing news."

She paused, unsure of whether to continue, knowing that if she spoke her mind now, she would be unable to take it back.  She drew in a deep breath, gathering her courage.

"Well?" the headmaster prompted.

"I believe that we may have been deceived by Rinoa Heartilly."

She hung her head, aware now of the consequences that her actions could lead to.  

"What?"  Headmaster Cid was taken aback by her last statement.  "But, what about the troops Caraway sent to retrieve her.  I admit that I was very sceptical at first, but after much thought on the subject I cannot think of another explanation for it.  He must have betrayed us."

Quistis did not reply to this.  She sat, unnervingly still, wishing that the headmaster would let the issue drop and allow them both to forget all about it.  Her mind was awash with doubt.

"Am I really sure about this?" she thought to herself.  "What if I'm mistaken?  The consequences could be grave for all concerned.  Then again, what if I'm right and I don't tell anyone?  I could be putting Garden in danger."  She could find no answers.

"What is it you're not telling me?" demanded Cid.

"Sir?" Quistis asked, politely, pretending not to understand the question.

"Quistis," he said, calmly, dropping the formalities that he had previously adopted.  He felt more comfortable talking to people when he didn't address them by rank.  "How long have I known you for?"

Quistis recognised that this was a rhetorical question, but she also knew where it was leading.

"I've known you longer than anybody else, since you were just a child.  You always have your reasons for bringing things to my attention. That is why you are one of my most trusted instructor's here.  I can always rely on you to tell the truth and make good, clear judgements based only upon the facts."

Those words echoed in her mind.

_Only upon the facts._

"Facts?" she thought.  "What facts do I have?  I have no proof to back up my accusation.  Why did I even come here?"

"Tell me what you're hiding Quistis."

She knew she had no choice.  She was a model SeeD who had never disobeyed an order in her entire career, but at that moment, that almost changed.  She doubted her own self-conviction so much that she wanted nothing more than to flee from the office immediately, too afraid of what she was about to say.  

"What if he doesn't believe me?  He knows all that goes on in Garden.  I'm sure that he's known about my feelings for Squall for a long time.  What if he thinks I'm only doing this to hurt Squall, as some childish form of revenge?"

"Instructor Trepe, I am ordering you to tell me."

"I…I never saw the soldiers that Squall and Rinoa mentioned.  I didn't see any sign of them."  She finally gave him, almost relieved that the words had finally come out of her mouth.

"Surely one of the others did?" asked Cid, exasperated.

She shook her head, meekly.  She had discussed this earlier with Zell, Selphie and Irvine.  Although they themselves had no doubt as to Rinoa's integrity, they thought it a little strange that they did not come into contact with any Galbadian soldiers.

"So, we have nothing but Squall's word to take on the subject?"

"And Rinoa's," Quistis offered, trying to repair the damage that was already done.

"She is an outsider.  You know as well as I do that I cannot trust the word of an outsider, especially one that we were ordered to kidnap."

"Yes, sir."

"However, Squall has been nothing but an exemplary member of SeeD  throughout his service.  I have no reason to doubt his word."

Quistis remained silent, refusing to make eye contact with her superior.  The headmaster noticed her strange behaviour and was immediately suspicious of it.

"Unless there's something you're not telling me?"

She knew that he would not drop the issue until she had given him a satisfactory answer.

"He…he…"  She was unsure of how to word her statement.  "He appears to be infatuated with her."

"What?"  Cid appeared shocked.  This was the last thing he had expected, after all this was Squall Leonhart they were talking about, the notorious lone wolf.  He was famed throughout Garden for receiving unrivalled attention from the female cadets, and even more renowned for turning every single one of them down.  The thought that he had developed feelings for someone who should have been no more to him than a mission, was nothing less than mind blowing.  "You have evidence of this?"

"I saw them kissing on the boat back to Balamb.  Prior to that, they had spent a great deal of time alone.  At first, I thought that he just wanted to make sure that she was delivered to Caraway safely, but now…"  

She let her sentence trail off for effect.  Headmaster Cid knew exactly what her implications meant.

"That will be all, Quistis.  Thank you."

She stood up to leave, leaving the headmaster to deal with the problem.  As soon as she stepped out of the door, she held her head in her hands and broke down into tears.

"What have I done?"

"No, no, that's no it.  At the point of impact, you want your arm to be completely outstretched."  He grabbed Rinoa's arm, and guided it in the correct motion.  "See?  It doesn't hurt so much that way."

"Let me try on my own."

Rinoa stood, feet planted firmly apart, her body turned sideways.  She brought her fist back slowly, until it was almost level with her face, before bringing it forward, swiftly, slamming her fist into the punch bag.  This time, she remembered to end with her arm straight, feeling satisfied when the sharp, shooting pain that had previously coursed through her, never came.

"That's it.  Told you it wasn't too difficult."

"Thanks, Squall," she said, removing her gloved from her sore, reddened hands, and hugging him.  She felt proud of her achievement.  Not that is was much compared to the fighting prowess of the SeeDs at Garden, but it was something.  And besides, being given a choice between this and taking on the training centre, she felt sure that she had made the correct decision.  She had overheard students in the canteen talking about one of their friends who had encountered a T-Rexaur whilst training.  From what she could gather, they were going to be alright, but only after extensive surgery.  She was sure that she would have been safe with Squall, but these stories alone were enough to put her off the place.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, concern showing in his eyes as he noticed how red her hands were.

"I'm fine," she replied, rubbing them gently.

"I guess I forgot to warn you that it can hurt like hell at first, huh?"

"Don't worry about it.  It's fine, really."

"Maybe I should take you to the infirmary, just to make sure."

Her mind drifted back to the T-Rexaur story.

"No, I'm sure they have much more important things to do than to see to someone who has a sore hand."

"Fine, but at least let me get you a bandage."

Rinoa knew that he wouldn't let this one go, so she agreed to the bandage.

"At least it's a refreshing change that he cares for me," she thought, remembering back to when they had first met.  It seemed so long ago, so much had happened since then.  As he walked into the bathroom to get her a bandage, Rinoa took advantage of the fact that he was out of the room, and began to rifle through his things out of curiosity.  She was shocked to find that he had so few possessions, and even more shocked to find that he didn't have any of the junk that teenagers usually had lurking about their room.  All she could find on his desk were mission reports and various files on clients.  When she realised there was nothing of interest she moved on to his bedside table which sat next to the case she supposed held his beloved gunblade.  She opened the draws and was shocked at what she found.  She pulled out the pad of paper to have a closer look and began to admire it.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" he demanded as he re-entered the room.

"When you told me you like to draw, I had no idea that you were that talented," she said, still staring at the picture.  

"I'm not," he replied, snatching the pad from her grasp.

"Was that the sunset we could see from the boat?"

"You could tell?"

"I'll never forget that sunset," she said, smiling.  

"Well, I guess you should keep the drawing then.  It's only right that you should have it."

"Really?  You mean that?"

"Sure."

"I don't know what to say.  Nobody's ever given me a present like that before.  It's…"  She paused, searching for the right word.  "Perfect."

He seemed embarrassed at her praise, so instead, he focused on bandaging her hand.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this.  What are you, a nurse too?"

"Basic medical training for use in the field," he replied.

"And I thought they only taught you how to fight."

"They teach us lots of things."

"And would kissing be one of those?" she inquired, flirtatiously.

"Erm…no," he replied, uncertain of what he should do, having no clue about how to flirt.  He silently cursed the fact that they were never taught how to deal with these situations in their classes.  Right now, he would have found that expertise much more useful than an extensive knowledge of physics.

She giggled slightly, aware that he was uncertain of what to do, so she took the initiative, leaning forward until their lips were almost touching, at which point they were interrupted by a persistent knocking at the door.  Reluctantly, Squall answered, finding a group of four lower ranked SeeDs standing outside. 

"Sir, the Headmaster demands that you see him immediately."

"Why didn't he just call me over the PA?"

"It is a matter of utmost importance, and he did not want to alert the rest of Garden."

"Fine.  Rinoa, I won't be long," he called back at her.

"Excuse me, Miss Heartilly," ventured a second SeeD.  "You must come with us."

Squall knew immediately that something was wrong.  

"Are they going to hand Rinoa over to Caraway anyway to prevent an attack on Garden?"   That was just one of the thoughts racing through his mind.

"If you'll follow me please."

Squall and Rinoa had no choice but to go their separate ways and follow the soldiers.  As they parted, they both looked back on each other, sensing that something would be different about the next time they met.

"Sir, what did you want to see me for?" Squall asked, saluting.

"It has been brought to my attention that you have…feelings…for Miss Heartilly."

"Yes, sir, what of them?" he replied.  He thought it foolish to try and conceal their relationship from the headmaster, after all, he had been almost like a father to Squall over the many years that they had known each other.  And soon, it was going to be common knowledge anyway, after the scene in the cafeteria.  He began to regret his previous actions, not knowing what he must have been thinking of at the time.  He, of all people should have known that public shows of emotion usually end badly.  He wondered if he was to be reprimanded for his previous behaviour.

"I fear that they may have clouded your judgement on certain vital matters.  These matters are of the utmost importance, not just to yourself, but to everybody in Garden."

"Sir?" 

"I understand that there were no other witnesses to the attack by the Galbadians."

"No, sir.  Only Rinoa and I were present at the time."

"I see.  Well, somebody has cast doubt onto these facts and I can understand their reasoning."

"But, Sir," Squall protested.  "I have told only the truth.  I didn't make any of it up."

"Do you have any proof?"

Squall sighed, knowing that he could not win.  

"Only my word, Sir."

Cid paused, considering his words very carefully.

"I'm sorry, Squall.  But I have no choice but to suspend you from all of your duties as a SeeD indefinitely.  This will be effective immediately."  Cid's eyes betrayed a great deal of sadness at the decision that he had been forced to make.  "Dismissed."


	15. Rules Are Made to be Broken

Chapter 15

"I just can't get over how great hotdogs are, Irvine."  Zell took one last bite of his hotdog, savouring every moment of it, being sure to inhale as much of the hotdog aroma that was drifting from his lunch as humanly possible.

"You know what, Zell?" asked Irvine.  "Hotdogs are just like women."

"How can you say that?  They just don't compare," protested Zell, gently picking up the next hotdog of his overflowing dinner plate.  "Give me a hotdog any day baby."

"Now, while hotdogs do have their obvious advantages, you just can't beat a good woman."

"Pft.  I just don't see how you can say women are just like hotdogs."

"Well, think about it, Zell.  Hotdogs require time and money, as do most women.  Also, you have to queue up for hours waiting for one that you can take home, only to find that there's none left and you were just that little bit too late." 

"You don't get women from a canteen though, Irvine," he said through a mouthful of hotdog.

"I don't know," the cowboy replied.  "That lady behind the counter's been giving you the eye for a long time."

"What!" Zell spluttered, spitting his lunch out all over the table, much to Irvine's amusement.  

"Had you going there, man," he laughed.

"You made me waste good hotdog dammit!" he screamed at the top of his voice, causing the other students in the cafeteria to stop and stare.  

Irvine merely laughed.  Suddenly aware of the attention that they were receiving, he tipped his hat towards a nearby table of female students who immediately started giggling amongst themselves, proud that he had thought to acknowledge them.

"See, look at them all.  Hunting in packs, giggling, talking amongst themselves, probably about us.  Women are scary."

"You have a lot to learn.  You just need to know what they like.  When you get used to them, you'll see they're not scary at all," Irvine explained.  "You know you have the attitude of a nine year old towards women, they're not some completely different species or something."

"Oh, no?  Then why do they have all that make-up?  Just what in Hyne's name is it for?  Do they really have faces covered in horrible, slimy scales that they don't want us to know about?  And what's with all the shoes.  How many feet do they really have?  Do they sprout extra ones at night time when nobody else is around?  And why do they have to go to the toilet in groups of two or more?  Why does it take so many of them?" 

"You've thought about this way too much.  You need to calm down."

"You're right.  I'm going to get another hotdog."

"That's right, Zell.  Go and see your girlfriend."

"Ok, that's it," screamed Zell finally snapping, leaping across the table and grabbing Irvine in a headlock.  "You take that back."

"Hey, man, take it easy.  Take it easy."  Luckily for Irvine, he was rescued from the situation by Selphie, who came bounding into the cafeteria at full speed.

"Guys," she announced, trying desperately to get their attention, tapping them both on the shoulder at the same time.  

There was no response from either.

"GUYS!" she shouted at the top of her voice, getting her the attention she requested.  When she saw the mass of students staring at her in disbelief, she suddenly became embarrassed.  "Just go back to your food everyone."

"What's the matter, Selph?  You seem tense."

"I just saw Squall being escorted to the Headmaster's office by some other SeeDs.  It seemed pretty important too.  He came out of there looking really angry."  She had lowered her voice to a whisper so that nobody could possibly overhear.  "Do any of you guys know what happened?"

"No," replied Zell.  "But I passed Rinoa earlier.  She said she was going to see if she could spend the day with him."

"Was he with Rinoa, Selph?"

"No, there was no sign of her."

"Maybe we should ask Quistis," suggested Zell.

"I'm not so sure.  I went up to the classrooms to find her, but all I found was a note on the door saying that all her classes this morning had been cancelled."

"That never happened when we were students," moaned Irvine.  "Some things just aren't fair."

"Guys, something's going on.  We have to find out."

"How?"

"I thought maybe we could ask Squall."

"You have got to be kidding me," Irvine protested.  "You said he was angry.  Zell, back me up here.  Would you want to talk to a very angry Squall."

"No way, I'd rather face a whole herd of ruby dragons that hadn't eaten for weeks."

"Well, this could be your lucky day.  I hear there's an excursion being run to the Island Closest to Hell that's leaving in about an hour."  Both men could see from the look on Selphie's face that they weren't going to get out of this one.  They were going to have to speak to Squall.

"Oh look, he's not here.  Let's leave," announced Zell.  "I'm going to go check for him in the students lounge."

"No you don't," replied Selphie, grabbing him by the arm.  "First of all, we haven't even looked yet, and second of all, when have you ever seen Squall in the student's lounge?"

"I think that was the point," said Irvine, who soon found himself on the receiving end of a particularly nasty look.  

Selphie ran on ahead, dragging the two men behind her.  

"See, I told you he'd be here," she said proudly as the sound of a dying T-Rexaur greeted their ears.  This was quickly followed by the anguished cry of a large number of grats that were under attack.  All three SeeDs gulped, knowing what to expect.

"That's Squall alright.  And he's mad," pointed out Irvine.

"Erm, Squall?" asked Selphie, quietly, hoping that he would not react badly to the disturbance.  "Squall?" she asked, a little louder this time.

"What?" he snapped, obviously irritated at the interruption.

"We…we were just wondering if you were ok."

"It's no concern of yours."

"But, we…we've known each other for so long, and…and we always work together," she stammered, nervously, losing all of her confidence.

"Yeah, well I don't work with you anymore so you can just leave me alone."

"What do you mean, Squall?"

"What do you think I mean?  Have you suddenly become deaf or something?  I said, I don't work with you anymore."

"You mean, you're…leaving SeeD?" she asked, a look of disbelief registering on her features.

"I think being fired is the better term for it," he growled, stalking past them on his way out the training centre.

"What do you mean?" she shouted after him.

"Why don't you ask your dear friend Quistis?"  
  


"It had to be her," he thought to himself as he paced the corridors of what was soon to become his former home.  "It had to be somebody that was there otherwise how could they 'cast doubt' on the facts.  This person was there on the mission."

"It couldn't possibly have been Zell.  He's not a bad guy.  Sure, he can be a little hyperactive at times but he's always honest, that's something I can't fault him for.  If he had have had any doubts, he would have come to me first."

"And as for Irvine, he was always trying to set me up with Rinoa.  If he thought Rinoa was lying and deceiving us then he definitely wouldn't have done that."

"I know it can't be Selphie, either.  There's no way she's that good of an actress to fool me into thinking she didn't know anything about this.  And what would she have to gain if she asked me about it unless she genuinely had no clue about what was said."

"That only leaves one person."

"_Quistis."_

"That's it.  That explains why Quistis' lessons were cancelled.  She's been to talk with the headmaster," Selphie explained.

"You don't think she'd actually tell him to get rid of Squall do you?" asked Irvine in disbelief.

"Not in those words, no.  But do you remember how she would always ask us what we thought of Rinoa and if we trusted her."

"Hey but she was just jealous, Selph.  It was obvious that she liked Squall and Quistis didn't like that."

"But Squall has loads of girls after him," Zell pointed out.

"It was also obvious that he liked Rinoa in return though.  He always brushed the other girls off so Quistis didn't feel threatened by them."

"Yeah, she once told me that what she wanted above all else was for Squall to grow to like her more," said Selphie.

"See, there's your answer."

"Deep down she knew that it was never going to happen, though.  I could see it in her eyes.  I don't think this is just jealousy."

"Well, maybe it's just clouding her judgement.  Maybe she really does think that Rinoa's bad news, and she can't see the truth because she's blinded by her feelings," offered Zell.

"Maybe you're right."

"Should we go and see her?" asked Irvine.

"I'm guessing she'd want to be alone now.  I don't think we should disturb her."

"Well we have to do something.  I don't want to wait round for Squall to do something stupid."

"Zell, this is Squall Leonhart we're talking about.  He always plays by the rules."

He knew exactly where she had been taken.

The detention centre.

Although the name conjured up images of students sitting at desks in a room being forced to do maths in their lunch hour, it was in fact a far more sinister place.  In fact, it resembled a prison.  This would be where they had taken her if they thought she was deceiving SeeD and could perceivably be a danger to all in Garden.  If Caraway found out that Garden was harbouring his daughter, the consequences could be dire for all involved. 

This was what Squall wanted to avoid at all costs, even if it meant for once in his life, breaking all of the rules that he lived by.

A/N.

Huge, huge thanks to everybody who had reviewed this.  All of them mean so much to me and I don't think I thank you guys enough.  I also want to apologise for not updating this for a while.  I was focusing on Romance Sans Paroles and then I got given four pieces of coursework to do.  Yuk.  I'm supposed to be doing my further maths coursework now, so shush, nobody need find out.  And sorry for the slight insanity at the start of the chapter, I've been listening to too many Madness songs.  So, as a last note, please review.


	16. Release

Chapter 16

_"Why are they keeping me here?"_

_"What have I done?"_

Millions of thoughts were buzzing through Rinoa's head, trying to make sense of the situation she had found herself in.

_"Where did they take him?  He didn't even do anything wrong."_

_"How could I have done this to him?  I've brought him nothing but pain and heartache."_

She slumped down against the wall until she was sat on the cold, dirty floor, her head resting in her hands.

"Squall," she uttered, hoping that by saying his name, everything would miraculously right itself, and she would be reunited with him.

"It's no use," the nearby guard told her, a malicious smile spreading across his face.  "You won't be seeing him again."

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" she retorted with as much spite as she could muster, refusing to let her spirit be broken.

"And why shouldn't I be?  It's about time Leonhart screwed up, and I'm so glad I'm here to see it."

"What have you got against him?"

"He always got promoted ahead of me, compared to him, everybody thought I was second best, not quite good enough, nowhere near as perfect as the mighty Leonhart," he screamed, bitterly.  "And now, with you here, he's had his first true taste of happiness, and I get to see it ripped from him."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm under strict orders to keep him well away from you.  Hopefully, he'll be there when we hand you back to Caraway, though.  I can't wait to see the moment when his heart is torn in two."

Rinoa was about to reply, when another man entered the room, dressed in SeeD uniform.

"The Headmaster wants to see you right away, Sir," the SeeD announced to the guard.

"Did he say it was urgent?" he asked impatiently.

"Yes, Sir."

""Fine," he sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he would have to leave.  "Do me a favour will you?  Watch her for me."  He motioned towards Rinoa.  "Don't let anybody near her, understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief as the footsteps of the guard echoed away into nothingness, until she was certain that he was gone.

"Ignore him.  He acts too tough."

"Excuse me?" Rinoa asked the newly arrived SeeD.

"That's Simmons.  He's always acting as if he's the boss.  I'm guessing by your reaction, he said something to you."

"Yeah," she replied, feigning a smile.

"So, what did you do to get put in here?"

"_What?  He doesn't know?" _she thought.  

"You there?" he asked, concerned about the overly long pause in answering his question.

"I'm not really sure, they didn't tell me."

"That's harsh," he replied.  "Well if you don't know, it can't be too serious.  I'm sure you'll be out of here soon."

"Thanks," she muttered.  It was then that she noticed the sound of footsteps coming down the corridor, ever closer.  

_"Great.  He's back,"_ she thought, hoping against hope that she wouldn't have to face Simmons again.  To her shock and relief, however, the figure in the doorway was not one that she had expected to see.

_"Squall."_

"Sir," announced the SeeD as he rode to his feet, saluting.  This reaction seemed to surprise Squall slightly, but did not throw him off guard.

"I believe the prisoner to be in danger.  I need to move her to a safe place," Squall told him.

"But, Sir.  I'm under orders not to let anybody near her," he protested.

"Are you arguing with me?"  The look on Squall's face was enough to strike fear into the heart of any mortal, and this man was obviously no exception.  "Of…of course not, Sir," he stuttered.  "You may move her right away."

"Thank you."  Squall unlocked the door to Rinoa's cell and led her outside.  When they had safely left the detention centre, Rinoa began to question Squall.

"What in Hyne's name is going on?"

"Quistis told the Headmaster that you were untrustworthy and had made up the story about Caraway wanting to be rid of SeeD."

"Quistis?  You're sure?"

"I have a very good idea."

"What happened to you?"

"Basically, I was removed from SeeD."

"But if you're not a SeeD anymore, how did you just persuade that guard to let me go?"

"The Headmaster's trying to keep this as low profile as possible.  Most people don't know about it yet."

"So what are we going to do, just walk out of here?"

"That's the plan."

It had almost been too easy to escape Garden.  Headmaster Cid had told so few people that even the gate guard didn't have a clue about Squall's demotion.  He had just been able to walk through the gate and head towards Balamb.  As soon as they were a safe distance from Garden, they had begun to run, seeking shelter in the town.  Squall knew that it would only be a matter of time before the alarm was sounded and their disappearance was known.  His biggest worry was that they would not make it to Balamb in time, as they were sitting ducks on the path into town, and an easy target for any SeeD search party.  He breathed a sigh of relief as they made it to the Balamb Hotel without being found and dragged back to Garden.

"I'd like to book a room please, for tonight," Squall told the receptionist.

"What name is it, please?"

"Davidson," he replied without hesitation.  "It's Mr and Mrs Davidson."  Rinoa glanced at him in shock at his last statement, before realising that it was nothing more than a cover story.  It didn't mean anything.

"How will you be paying, Sir?"

"Cash," Squall replied, handing over a large wad of notes from his back pocket.

"Thank you very much.  Here is your room key, Number 33.  Enjoy your stay."

"Are you mad?" asked Rinoa, as soon as they were out of earshot.  "We're hiding in the most obvious place."

"That's the whole point," replied Squall.  "Be patient.  You'll see."

"Where is she?" screamed Simmons, furiously, at the top of his voice.

"I was ordered to release her, Sir, as it was feared that her life was in danger."  His reply was somewhat nervous.

"Who gave that order?"

"It was Commander Leonhart, Sir."  

"Leonhart?  It was Leonhart?"  Simmons was fuming with anger.  "You'll be demoted so much for this, you'll soon be addressing the cleaners as Sir." 

"You're sure Leonhart has her?" asked the Headmaster.

"Yes, sir.  He ordered her release from the detention centre."

"Maybe I should have made more people aware of the situation," he pondered.  "I just didn't expect Squall to pull a stunt like this."

"Well, Sir.  Maybe you'll have to admit that your decision to promote him was incorrect."

"Are you challenging my judgement, Simmons?"

"No, Sir," he replied.

"Good, because you won't like what happens to SeeDs that do, have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir," he muttered.

"Good.  Now how long ago did this happen?"

"Over an hour ago, Sir."

"That means we won't be able to catch them before they leave Balamb.  It's likely that they're already half way to Galbadia.  Squall would try and get as far away as possible, widen the search area for us and increase the likelihood that they would be able to slip through the net.  Yes, that would be the most logical thing to do."

"We'll launch Garden then?"

"I'm afraid that that's not possible at the moment.  Critical maintenance is currently underway on the flight systems.  We won't be able to leave for a while.  I'll contact Galbadia Garden, ask them to send out a search team.  In the meantime, could you go and inform the maintenance crews that they need to work around the clock.  We have to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."


	17. Moonlit Night

Chapter 17

"Squall, I'm so sorry.  I'm sorry for everything," Rinoa sobbed gently, tears streaming down her cheeks.  In reply, Squall softly wiped them away with his thumb, causing Rinoa to shiver at the sudden contact.

"You've got nothing to be sorry for.  You're completely innocent, you just got caught in the middle of all this by mistake.  You can't blame yourself."

"But, before me, you had everything.  You had a home, a life, a good job, lots of money.  Now what do you have?"

"I have everything I could ever want right here with me," he whispered softly before kissing her on the cheek.  

"Squall, you can't mean that.  What about your friends…"

"What friends?" he interrupted.  "It was one of those so-called friends that did this to me."  Rinoa couldn't argue with this.  Instead she tried to offer him whatever small comfort she could, caressing his hand and rubbing her fingers gently over his rough, callused skin that had arisen from years of extensive training.  To her surprise, she noticed that the corners of his mouth had folded up into a slight smile, barely distinguishable from his normal expression.

"Don't worry about it, Squall.  I'll…I'll be here for you."  She looked deep into his eyes, seeing the profound effect that her words were having on him, his eyes lighting up in delight.  "I promise."

Zell, Selphie and Irvine stood outside the Headmaster's office, waiting nervously for their call to go in.  All three guessed that this meeting was about Squall, but still, they weren't quite sure of what they were about to face.  Were they to be punished for not voicing any suspicions of their own, or were they merely to be informed of the current situation?  They couldn't be sure.

"The Headmaster will see you now," the secretary announced, opening the door wide open for them.

"Ah, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, do sit down," invited Headmaster Cid.  He seemed somewhat downcast, despite his attempts to welcome them cheerfully.

"You wanted to see us, Sir?" asked Selphie.

"Yes.  I'm afraid I've had to remove Squall Leonhart from SeeD pending an investigation into his activities on your recent mission.  I was wondering if you could shed any light on that for me.  I have already received a report from Instructor Trepe which proved to be very informative indeed."

"Sir, if you want us to speak up against Squall, then I for one won't," spoke Zell.  "I know he isn't the most friendly of guys, but he's the best Commander I've ever served under.  He's saved my life many times since we both became SeeDs, I know he can be trusted."

"I agree," chipped in Irvine.  "He may be grumpy as hell most of the time, but that's just because he takes his work so seriously.  If you ask me, he's the last guy on the planet I'd expect to betray anyone."

"Sir, they're right," agreed Selphie.  "When Quistis and I were briefed on the mission before we infiltrated the Forest Owls, we were told that Rinoa was highly dangerous, and a threat to the region's peace.  We both thought that seemed really strange.  For the most part, the Forest Owls were just organising demonstrations or distributing propaganda.  That's not exactly what I'd consider dangerous.  There are resistance groups in Timber that are far more active than that, some are even violent.  In my opinion, Rinoa Heartilly didn't pose a threat to anyone."

"I see.  You're sure you didn't find any evidence of danger from the Forest Owls?" asked the Headmaster.  "I too was under the impression that they truly were a threat to the Government."

"They were just a small agency, made up mostly of students, with very little funding.  There was nothing that they could really do to threaten anybody.  They didn't even have any links to the more militant resistance factions."

"You think that I have made a mistake then about Squall?"

There was silence from the three SeeDs, neither of them wanting to offend Headmaster Cid.

"Don't be afraid to speak your minds.  I need to know the truth here."

Slowly and nervously, they began to nod, confirming the Headmaster's worst fears.

"Why would she lie to me?" he asked, exasperated.  "She's one of the most trusted instructor's at Garden, and now she goes and does this.  It doesn't make any sense."

"Sir.  I don't think that she would deliberately mislead you."

"Well, what other explanation is there?" he demanded.

"You must have known about Quistis' feelings for Squall," explained Selphie.  "She became jealous of Rinoa even before anything happened between her and Squall.  I've never seen her as angry as she was on the trip back home, it wasn't like her at all."

"You mean that all this was caused by a little jealously?"

"She doesn't see it as that though.  She thinks that she's doing the best thing for Squall.  I'm sure she didn't mean for him to be removed from SeeD, I know she cares about him too much.  She just thinks that he's be better off without Rinoa and that has been influencing her judgement, making her see things differently from the rest of us."

"Sir, you're going to reinstate Squall aren't you?" asked Zell, voicing the question that plagued everybody's minds.  "It's not as if he did anything wrong."

"There may be a problem with that."

"A problem, Sir?"

"He's gone.  He took Rinoa and left Garden.  So far, we've had no luck in locating him and Garden cannot leave until the repairs are completed.

"Gone?  But, that doesn't sound like Squall."

"That's what worries me."

"_Look at me.  Look at what I am.  I'm nothing but a traitor to my friends.  How can I live with myself?"_

Quistis stared deep into the mirror, disgusted at her own tear-stained reflection that glared back at her, her eyes boring deep into her soul, compounding the hurt and pain that coursed throughout her being, allowing her no respite from her grief.

"This…this is all my fault," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands, no longer able to stomach her own reflection.  "Why did I have to do this to them, why did I have to do this to myself?" 

She stormed across her room, flinging her curtains shut, wanting to block out every last sliver of pure, blinding light that pounded down upon her, as if they were condemning her past actions.  Alone now, in her room, there was nowhere that she could hide from her own inner torment, the guilt that had plagued her being since she made her confession.

"How could I do this to him?  How could I do this to her?  Thinking about it, she wasn't that bad was she?  She hadn't done anything wrong and now because of me, she'll probably be taken back to Caraway.  All because of me."

Quistis gently lifted her framed instructor's diploma off her wall, where once it had been in pride of place, her crowning achievement.

"Look at who I was," she thought, sombrely, wishing that she could rewrite history and change the events of the past few days.  "And look at who I am now," she muttered bitterly towards the mirror, before hurling the diploma across the room, causing the glass to shatter into a million pieces and cascade to the floor as it made contact with the wall.

"Quistis?"  There was a gentle rapping at the door.  "Quistis?"

"Who is it?" she screamed, not wanting to speak to anybody.

"It's Selphie. Are you going to let me in?"

"No." Her answer was abrupt and to the point.

"Please, Quistis, I just want to speak to you," she said, softly, hoping that the instructor would be soothed by her tone.

"I don't want to hear it," she snapped in reply.

"We don't blame you, you know?"

This seemed to have the desired effect.  Quistis fell silent, no longer protesting, and almost immediately the lock clicked open, allowing Selphie entry into the room.  The sight that met her eyes caused her to freeze in her tracks.

"Quistis?  What happened to you?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"I just faced up to the truth, that's all."

"Don't blame yourself.  Everyone makes mistakes, that's what makes us human."  These words didn't seem to offer Quistis much comfort.

"What happened to them?"

"Rinoa and Squall?"  

Quistis nodded, seemingly apprehensive of what the answer might be.

"Well, Squall was removed from SeeD and then he just left with Rinoa.  I heard that he broke her out of the detention centre, but that's just a rumour."

"You mean they're gone?" she enquired, wide-eyed in disbelief.  "Oh, Hyne what have I done?"

Squall knew it was a risk to be seen out in the open, but he needed the fresh air.  Rolling back the balcony doors, he stepped outside breathing in the crisp night air as deeply as he could.  He gazed upwards at the heavens, basking in the golden moonlight that washed over him.  Everything was so peaceful, so serene.  Even though he had been unable to appreciate the beauty in tranquillity until recently, the silence and the calm welcomed him, bringing him a strange sense of comfort.  He glanced back towards his hotel room, gazing upon the sleeping form of Rinoa.  There was only one bed, a double, in the room and he had allowed her to have it, saying that he would prefer to sleep on the sofa.  She had seemed slightly disappointed, but not surprised at his answer.  As he watched her now, he marvelled at how innocent she looked, despairing at the fact that she had been dragged into this horrible situation against her own will.  

_"But I wouldn't change a thing,"_ he thought to himself, smiling.  _"No, not a thing.  She saved me, saved me from myself.  She showed me what life was really all about.  I owe her so much.  I owe it to her to get her out of this and keep her away from Caraway."_

Just as he thought this, he noticed some movement down by the harbour.  A boat carrying about twenty people was being rowed toward the shore despite it having a motor.  

_"Typical stealth tactics,"_ he thought.  "_Arrive in the dead of night in total silence."  _On many occasions, Squall had used identical tactics on his missions to allow him to get by without being noticed. 

 The people began to disembark, keeping low to the ground and avoiding the powerful beams thrown across the town by the street lights.  Squall could tell that this was some kind of trained military outfit as they had definitely arrived prepared for whatever their mission was.

_"Rinoa."_  Squall's first thought was for her safety.  Caraway had spies everywhere and it would not be impossible for there to be one in Garden.  He might know of his daughter's disappearance and these men might have been sent to retrieve her.  However, Squall was soon able to breathe a small sigh of relief as they passed by the hotel and headed out of the town.  The first thing that struck him was the fact that they seemed to know exactly where they were going.  The second was that they were fully prepared for battle as all the men were very heavily armed.

He was torn between staying in the hotel with Rinoa and following them.  He knew that she might be in danger if he left her, but he just couldn't shake off the feeling that these men posed some kind of threat to them, even though they were heading out of town.

"But how can I just leave her here?  Something might happen to her.  But what if those men really are looking for her?  It might not be too long before they checked the town and we'd be caught in no time.  If that's the case, the only chance I have is to take them out.  There's no way out of Balamb at this time of night and I can't travel far on foot with Rinoa.  No, if they do pose a threat, I'll have to dispose of them myself and I don't like those odds.  Maybe twenty of them, heavily armed against me.  A surprise attack will even the odds slightly, maybe give me a fighting chance."

When he had decided upon his course of action, he shook Rinoa awake gently, trying not to alarm her.

"Rinoa, I have to go somewhere.  Don't worry, I won't be long."

"No, you can't just leave me here Squall."

"Please, Rinoa.  Please trust me.  You can do that, right?"  

She nodded.  "You know I trust you."

"Then believe me when I say that you'll be safe here.  Just try and get some sleep, okay?  I'll be back before you know it."

With that, he kissed her on the forehead and headed out into the night.


	18. Redemption

Chapter 18

Squall stood, his back firmly pressed against a wall, watching the group of men making their way through the town.  Observing the way they moved swiftly as a single unit only heightened his suspicions as to their intentions.  It was always a possibility that they were sent by Garden to locate Rinoa and himself.  If that was the case, he certainly wasn't prepared to let them succeed without a fight.  He followed them as they moved silently from street to street, making sure that he remained safely within the cover offered by the shadows cast across the road by the full moon.  However, as he tracked their every movement, it soon became apparent to Squall that he was not their target.  The group clearly had no interest in the town of Balamb, instead, heading directly for the exit to the town and passing into the open countryside.

Squall was stuck in two minds, torn between finding out the truth behind all of this, and returning to Rinoa.  On the one hand, he was worried about her being left in the hotel room for too long without him being there to protect her, but on the other hand, his instincts told him not to go back just yet, and he had learned to trust his instincts over the years.  On many occasions, they had been all that he had to rely on, all he could trust, and he wasn't about to abandon them.  Against his better judgement, and against the will of his nagging conscience, he decided to continue following the group of men to their destination.

"_She'll be fine without me,"_ he thought, his mind now set on his course of action.

_"He's gone.  He's really gone, and I drove him away."   _Quistis downed the contents of her shot glass, staring at her reflection in the bottom.  

"They all hate me, Zell, Selphie, Irvine.  They can't even look me in the eye.  And Headmaster Cid, I let him down.  He trusted me and I betrayed that.  I didn't mean to, it was an accident, but still, I betrayed that trust.  He's going to take my instructor's licence away, maybe I'll even have to leave.  But where will I go?  This has been my only home.  I've lost everything and I deserve it.  I forced him to leave so why shouldn't I be punished like this?"

Is this how he was feeling?  Lost, alone, unsure of himself?  Now I can understand what was going through his head when he found out that he was no longer a SeeD.  He must despise me right now, after all, I'm the one to blame.  I have to try and redeem myself somehow.  I can't live knowing that he hates me."

"I have to go and find him and bring him back home."

"I'm really worried about her, Zell.  You know her better than the rest of us, have you ever seen her like this before?"  Zell shook his head in reply to the question posed by Selphie.

"No, she's always been the sensible one.  She's always been in control.  In all the years I've known her, she's never cancelled her lessons or locked herself in her room.  This is really out of character."

"I agree," replied Selphie.  "This isn't like her at all.  I may have only been here a year but I know her well enough to be worried.  We don't know what she might do."

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting something?" asked Irvine.  "What about Squall and Rinoa?  Shouldn't we be more worried about them?  We don't even know where they are."

"They'll be okay.  As much as I want him back, I have to admit that as long as Squall's with Rinoa, he isn't going to do anything stupid.  I know he wouldn't do anything to endanger her.  They're probably just lying low at the moment, enjoying each other's company."  This last comment prompted snickers from both Irvine and Zell.  "Oh get your minds out of the gutter," muttered Selphie indignantly.  

"Sorry Selph," they replied in unison, trying to hold back their laughter.

"Guys, this is no joke.  This is serious.  What do we do about Quistis?"

"She'll be fine.  She always pulls through.  Why should this time be any different?"

"She's never been like this before.  I'm terrified in case she does something she might regret," she replied.

"You don't think she would do you?"

"We don't know what she might do."

Squall was crouched down on the grass, as low to the ground as he could possibly get.  Fortunately for him, the men were too involved in their mission to notice the figure that had been silently stalking them in the shadows.  It appeared that they had finally reached their destination.

Balamb Garden.

"Why aren't they looking for us," he thought, confused.  Logic decreed that Garden would have left hours ago in their search for the missing couple.  "And what interest do these men have in Garden?"  His mind raced, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer to this question.  He found none.

"What does it matter?  They don't pose any threat to Rinoa, I can go back to her now. Garden isn't my responsibility anymore."  He began to leave.

"They turned their back on me, now I'll turn my back on them."

He set out back towards the town, but despite himself, he found that he just couldn't leave.  Instead, his conscience was tugging at his mind, telling him to stay.

"I guess I owe the place something.  After all, I grew up here.  They may have disowned me, but they can't erase my past."

In the time he had taken to reach his decision, the group had entered Garden, so Squall wasted no time in following them.  He expected his progress to be halted by the gate guards, but found, to his surprise, no resistance.  

"Strange."

He opened the door to the room the gate guards occupied, and soon discovered the reason behind their absence.  All four of them were lying sprawled across the floor, their throats slit open.  Squall felt a tinge of sadness at the sight before him, although he was not shocked by it.  He had seen far worse in his time serving as a SeeD.  It was clear that these men died quickly, which was more than could be said for some he had known.  

He quietly closed the door, making sure that it clicked shut behind him.  A quick glance down the corridor betrayed the location of the majority of the enemy squad, although Squall noted that there must be several that he could not see.

He made his way towards the nearest soldier and managed to reach him undetected before swiftly disposing of him.  Only seconds later, the man's radio began to crackle into life.

"Anderson, report."  

Squall froze, knowing that he could not impersonate the dead man well enough to fool whoever was on the other end of the radio.

"Anderson, what is your status?"  

The voice was becoming more and frantic.

"Men, we've lost contact with Anderson.  We must assume hostile activity.  Proceed to his last known position."

"Dammit," Squall cursed under his breath as several of the soldiers had begun to make their way towards his location.  He saw no option but to fight his way out of the predicament.

As soon as one of the soldiers came into striking range, he found his heart pierced by a gunblade, and fell to the floor immediately, alerting the surrounding men.  Squall had been discovered, but the soldiers were clearly unprepared for a fight.  Squall managed to dispose of five more with relative ease before he found himself surrounded.  He was undaunted, however.  Many times before he had found himself in a similar situation, and he had always emerged victorious in the past.  

The enemy appeared restless, obviously not intent on maintaining their position surrounding Squall in the full view of the corridor.  If anybody happened to be walking past at this hour, the whole of Garden would soon be alerted to their presence, a fact that they seemed to be acutely aware of.  It was not long before one of them broke rank, only to be picked off by Squall's flashing blade.  All chaos promptly broke loose, with the surviving men attacking Squall head on.  A further five fell to his superior prowess before he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"This all ends now," the soldier growled at him, before moving to pull the trigger.

Quistis ran blindly through the halls of Garden, determined to bring Squall back.  Nothing else mattered to her now, her only thought was of her redemption.  

"I don't care that I don't even know where to start looking.  I'll search the whole damn planet if I have to.  I'll do whatever it takes to find them."

She clasped the Save the Queen that hung from her waist, praying that it would give her strength.

"I will bring them back, I won't fail," she told herself in an effort to dispel any doubts that still plagued her mind about her upcoming journey.  

"I can do this."

As she rounded the corner near to the main entrance, the sound of clashing swords met her ears.

"What in Hyne's name?"

She instinctively removed the whip from her waist and prepared for battle.  She headed out into the corridor, and was shocked at the sight that met her eyes.

"Squall?  He's here."   

Her initial shock wore of quickly when she saw the gun pointed at his head.

"This all ends now," she heard the man holding the weapon tell him.  

Without thinking, she flung her whip towards him, hoping against hope that she didn't miss her intended target.  As she saw the tendrils of the whip wrap themselves around the gun, flinging it from the man's hand, she breathed an enormous sigh of relief.  Squall was safe and was now able to completely neutralise the attack force, leaving nobody alive.  A closer inspection of one of the bodies revealed them to be from the Galbadian Army.

"Rinoa…she was telling the truth."  The realisation that she had been wrong dawned upon Quistis.  "This…this is all my fault.  If only I'd have kept my mouth shut."  She was not able to ponder this for long, however, as she was interrupted by shouting from across the hallway.

"So, traitor.  You actually had the audacity to come crawling back here.  I'm really going to enjoy this."  Quistis recognised the voice as belonging to Simmons, and a quick glance towards the pair confirmed this.  "I've finally got my chance to prove that I'm better than you," he leered, his sword snaking towards Squall's throat.

"You'll regret that," he replied, clearly not phased by Simmons' sudden violent behaviour.

"What will you do Leonhart?  Run away again?" he taunted.

Quistis could see from the look in Squall's eyes that Simmons had touched on a nerve, causing his anger to boil.

"Simmons, stand down," she ordered, knowing that any fight between the two could only result in Squall being victorious and she didn't want him to get into any more trouble than he was already in with Headmaster Cid.

"But, Instructor Trepe," he protested.  "I've found the traitor."

"I said, stand down, Simmons.  That's an order."

"But…"

"Do you want me to report you to the headmaster?" she threatened.  Seeing that his situation was impossible, Simmons backed away from Squall, lowering his blade.

"You'll regret this," he muttered, causing Squall to raise one eyebrow in amusement.

"I'll speak to you later about this Simmons," Quistis admonished firmly.  "This isn't the last you'll be hearing of this incident."  She fixed him with a glare, causing him to slink away at the first opportunity, leaving her to deal with more important matters.

"This is my chance," she thought.  "I need to tell him just how sorry I am."

She turned around to talk to Squall, only to find that he was gone.

A/N.  Sorry this update took forever.  I'm in the middle of exams at the moment so this has been sitting around, unfinished, on my computer for weeks.  Hopefully I will be able to update some of my other fics soon, but I can't promise anything.  Sorry.  

Thanks to:

Rinoa Heartilly

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

Quadrono

Dan

Riona

Light_of_the_Moon

Dark Raion 

Vindemon64

Keiry

Renegade Seraph

Angel's Destiny

Sammy-Chan

Mika

Mariko

Sandra Leonhart

CTHKSI

RadicalEdward

Mia

KinOfDragons

Pretty-anonymous14

Penny

TuRkEy R EvIl

Morganeth Taren'drel

SwordAndSoul

Luna Verde

Yuki

Crystal Night

LuvlyLatina

Angelprinczess29

Rhi-an

Cherry6124

Browneyez

The Insane Rinoa

Lionhearted


	19. Aftermath

Chapter 19

"Zell!  Zell, wake up now.  This is no time to be lying in bed."

Slowly, Zell opened his eyes, noticing that it was still dark outside, and that the incessant pounding at the door, which had awoken him showed no signs of halting.

"ZELL," Selphie screamed even louder.  "Get out of bed now."

Perceiving the urgency in her voice, he tried to roll out of bed immediately, ending up in a heap on the floor.  He picked himself up and dusted himself down, before quickly throwing on the first set of clothes he could find.  Within seconds he was at the door.

"What's up guys?" he asked Selphie and a very worried looking Irvine, who were both waiting for him outside the door.

"Something's going on.  I passed some guy, who was it Selphie?"

"I think it was Simmons."

"Yeah that's the guy, Simmons.  I passed him in the hallway.  He seemed in a really foul mood and he kept muttering something about Squall and Quistis."

"And just a few minutes ago there was an urgent call for Headmaster Cid to go to the front gate," added Selphie.

"Well, this had better turn out to be something.  I hate being woken up.  Especially at…"  He looked down to check his watch.  "Four in the morning!  You woke me up at four in the morning?  I didn't even know that there was a four in the morning."

"Zell, calm down.  This is serious, okay?" rebuked Selphie.  "They might have found Squall.  We have to go and check it out."

"Quistis?"

She was so lost in thought that she barely heard the myriad of voices calling out for her.

"Quistis?"  Their cries were repeated, louder this time, but to the same effect.  She simply couldn't hear them.

"Snap out of it," Zell shouted, shaking her by the shoulders.  This seemed to have the desired effect, as the glazed expression that she had been wearing slowly dissipated.

"What?" She asked, somewhat surprised that there were people here with her.

"Quistis, what's the matter?" asked Selphie, gently.  She was well aware of the state that her friend's mind was in, and she didn't want to do anything that might upset her further.

"She…she was right," Quistis replied, almost breaking down mid-sentence.  "She was right dammit, and would I listen?"

"Who was right?"

"No, of course I didn't listen.  When do I ever?  I couldn't stop and see what was right in front of me.  How long have been living in my dreams?"

"Quistis, what are you talking about?  Who was right?  What dreams are you talking about?"  Selphie was becoming more and more insistent, trying to discover the method behind her friend's madness.

"Look.  Look around you," motioned Quistis.  It was only then that they saw the utter carnage that was right before them.

"My God," Irvine whispered.  "What happened here?  They're all dead."  Despite the fact that they were no strangers to violence, the scene shocked them deeply.  None of them had ever witnessed anything of the kind before.

"I did this." Quistis was choking back her tears as she said this.  "This…this was all my fault."

"How Quistis?  How is it your fault?" asked Selphie.

"I spoke out against her when she was right.  I brought this upon us all."  Nothing could now stop the flood of tears that had been threatening to flow for some time.

"You mean Rinoa don't you?"

She nodded in reply.  "He's really gone you know?"

"Squall will come back soon," said Zell.  "Now that we know the truth the Headmaster's sure to forgive him.  I mean, look at these men, they're all in Galbadian Army uniform. That means that Caraway really was after SeeD."

"Squall knows," Quistis replied.  "He knows all of this.  If it wasn't for him we'd all be dead by now."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he saved us.  We turned our back on him, but he still saved us.  Wait…I turned my back on him.  You three have done nothing wrong."

"Quistis, are you saying that he did this?  Killed all these people?"

"Yes, don't you understand?  He was here, he saved us."

"Then why didn't he stay?  He must have known that the whole misunderstanding would be worked out."

"I don't know why he didn't stay.  He just looked me straight in the eye and left."

"Who left?" a voice questioned them.  The group turned round to find themselves face to face with Headmaster Cid.

"It's a long story, Sir," Selphie replied.

"You'd better come up to my office.  I need an explanation for this," he said, looking forlornly at the sea of dead bodies littering the corridor.

"So let me get this straight.  You're saying that these men attacked Garden, but were stopped by Squall, who simply left?"

"Yes, Sir, that's correct," Quistis replied. 

"How did he get here?  We've had people monitoring all the trains to and from Balamb."

"Well, sir.  It seems that there's only one explanation," said Zell.

"And that would be what?"

"He's still here."

"Do you really think that one of our best and most highly trained SeeDs would simply hide out only a matter of minutes away from us?  That doesn't make sense, Squall's not foolish."

"I know, Sir, that's why it makes sense," Selphie explained.  "You didn't even order a search of Balamb because you thought he'd already have got on a train to Galbadia, so you ordered the search to begin further away.  Squall would have known this, and he also would have known of the danger to Rinoa if he travelled to Galbadia.  Think about it, Sir.  Squall would have known that the safest place to remain, with the least chance of discovery, is right here in Balamb."

"You know, Selphie, I think you might be right," the Headmaster replied, clearly impressed with her reasoning.

"That may be true," added Zell, "but can we really force him to come back.  I mean, he's not technically a SeeD anymore is he, so you can't order him back, Sir.  And he had every opportunity to stay after he'd killed those soldiers, but he didn't.  This time, it was his choice to leave.  Don't we have to respect that?"  

"That may be. But I believe that he will come back."

"Sir?"

"We have to interpret what happened this as an act of war on the part of Caraway.  Squall knows that Rinoa won't be safe until Caraway has been dealt with."

"But, Sir, how do we know that?  For all we know, Caraway only ordered Rinoa kidnapped so that he would have an excuse to attack SeeD.  There's no evidence that he actually wants her back."

"Then why would he only send a small group of soldiers to attack us?  Sure, they could do some damage before they were discovered, but as soon as they were, they'd have every SeeD in Garden onto them and they wouldn't have a chance. No, that wasn't their main attack force, this group had more specific orders."

"You think they came here to take back Rinoa?"

"What other explanation could there be?"

"They might have wanted to kill you, Sir," offered Zell.

"But that wouldn't make any sense.  If I were killed, somebody would just take my place.  They wouldn't gain anything by it."

"Maybe they were planting explosives?" asked Selphie.  "That would make sense wouldn't it?  A small group could plant bombs and then just leave.  They could destroy Garden on their own."

"I admit that it's a possibility, but so far there hasn't been any evidence of explosives found with the bodies.  No, I believe that their only goal could be to retrieve Rinoa, though I can't think why."

"Maybe if we ask her," suggested Irvine.

"Good idea."

"So we order a search of the town then?"

"No, I'm afraid we can't do that.  As soon as Caraway finds out about this, he will take action.  I will be putting everybody onto security duty.  We can't let anything like this happen again.  You'll have to find Squall and Rinoa by yourself.  Besides, I think it's for the best of we make as little fuss about this as possible.  Is everything clear?"

"Yes, Sir," they replied in unison.

When Squall finally made his way back to the hotel, his first thoughts were of Rinoa.

"Is she alright? What on Earth was I thinking, just leaving her here like that?  Anything could have happened to her whilst I was away."

After seeing that it was too late to knock on the door and have the hotelier admit him, he began to climb the trellis that lead up to the balcony outside his room.  The task, which would usually have been a simple one for Squall, was made more difficult the more he worried about what he might find inside.

To his relief, he found that nobody had entered the room after he had left, and Rinoa was safe, sleeping soundly in her bed.  Quietly, he slid open the balcony door, trying not to make so much noise as to wake her.  He shut the door behind him and settled himself on the couch.  He wasn't able to sleep, however, he just couldn't take his eyes off the sleeping woman.  Every breath she took captivated him, and he wished, more than anything that time would just stop and leave them in this place, together.  

"For once, I don't have to worry about anything apart from us.  I don't have to think about missions, promotions, my duty.  Now, my duty is to her, and her alone.  From now on, everything I do is for us.  No more fighting, no more heartache.  Just us."

He didn't know how long he lay there, just watching her, but daylight was streaming through the curtains by the time she opened her eyes.

"You're back," she pointed out sleepily.

He got up off the couch and walked to the edge of the bed.  "I'm here," he whispered, stroking her cheek with the palm of his hand.  

"Squall?" she muttered, almost fearfully.

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed by the tone of her voice.

"You…you have blood on you.  Look at your hands," she screamed.

He looked down and cursed himself for not wearing gloves.  His hands were indeed stained crimson with blood, a reminder of the lives that he had taken that night.

"What have you done, Squall?"

He hung his head in shame.  "It was to protect you.  I had to do it."  It was the only explanation he could give.

"I thought this was all over," she wailed.  By now she was in tears, and all Squall wanted was to take her in his arms and comfort her, tell her that everything would be alright now.  But he couldn't.  It would be a lie.  He knew that this was far from over.  As much as he would like to renounce the outside world and care only for her, he knew it would be almost impossible.

_"But I'm willing to try,"_ he thought as he gazed upon the weeping figure of the woman he loved.  _"I have to for her sake."_

"How much longer must this go on?" she asked, despairingly.  "When will I just be able to live the life that I want and be free?"

"Soon, Rinoa, soon."  He tried to comfort her the best he could.  "This is it for me now.  No more killing, no more bloodshed.  Just you and me, alright?"

"How can you mean that?"

"Please, believe me.  This isn't the life I want," he cried out, pointing to the blood that stained him.  "I just want to forget about everything and start all over again with you.  As soon as Garden lets down its guard at the train station, we'll go somewhere, okay?"

"But where will we go?"

"I don't know.  Somewhere far away.  Away from Garden, away from Caraway, away from our troubles."

"You mean it."

"Of course I do.  It's what I want, Rinoa.  I never asked for the life of a mercenary, and now, I've found a reason to leave it behind, to leave everything behind."

"Thank you, Squall.  I'm sorry for being upset, it's just that with being so close to Garden, I've been so on nervous and on edge.  It just serves as a reminder of all the bad things that have happened to us."

"Well don't worry about it anymore.  We're never going back to that place.  Never."

A/N:  I really am sorry about how long that took to update, I've just not felt able to write for a while.  Anyway, please review, and a big thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter:

Keiry

Crystal Night

Rinoa Leonhart

KinOfDragons

Crazy

Nuaro

SwordAndSoul

Omnitoad

Freakker

Kupo

Sammy-Chan

Morganeth Taren'drel

Lady Usako

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

Sandra Leonhart

Renegade Seraph

Dan

Karla


	20. Reconciliation

Chapter 20

Squall hesitantly tapped her on the shoulder, reluctant to wake her from her peaceful slumber.

_"She looks just like an angel," _he thought, watching her continue to sleep.  _"That's what she is to me, an angel.  She saved me, and now it's my turn to save her."_

He shook her more forcefully this time, wanting to ensure that she would actually awaken.

"What is it?" she mumbled groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"We have to go now. Come on, get dressed," he replied softly.

"Go?  Go where?" she asked, suddenly waking up.  "I don't want to go back."

"Who said anything about going back?  Remember, I told you last night, we're going to go far away."

"I'm sorry, I…I just dreamt that you took me back there…to Garden.  I'm not sure what happened, all I can remember was that it was bad, it was really, really bad."

"It's alright, we're not going back there."  He placed both of his arms around her, doing his best to comfort her.

"So where are we going?"

"I don't know where.  Just as long as it's far away, we'll be alright."

She nodded, agreeing with his plan.

_"Yes, somewhere far away," _she thought.  _"Somewhere where nobody knows who we are.  Somewhere where we can leave our troubles far behind us.  Somewhere where we can be together without having to constantly be on our guard.  Yes, that's where I want to be."_

"Come on, we'll miss the train if we don't hurry."

"Do we have to go right now?  I'm sick of running away.  Can we not just stay here together a little longer?" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry.  I've been thinking, and I've realised we have to leave now.  They know I'm still here, and they'll come for me.  I can't let them get to you."

"They saw you last night?"

"Yes," he replied, hanging his head low.  "I never intended that to happen. I'm sorry."

"Don't be.  Did you ever intend to run away from your life to be with a woman you've only just met?  No of course you didn't.  These things happen.  They can't be predicted, you can't plan for them.  The only thing you can do is to make the best of the situation you find yourself in."

"Why do I never find myself in an easy situation?" he asked, wistfully.

"Because then, life would be boring," she replied.  "Now come on, let's go before they find us."

"Hey, Selphie, are you alright?" enquired Irvine, who had just found her sat perched on a wall near to the main entrance.  "It's not like you to look all glum and depressed."

"Sorry," she replied, gloomily.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice suddenly taking on a more serious tone.

"Just thinking."  She didn't seem to be willing to share any more with him, and Irvine was reluctant to push for more information than she was willing to give.  However, he wasn't about to leave her when she was feeling so down.  

"She really needs someone now.  We've always relied on her to cheer her up when we're feeling sad, well, now it's my chance to return the favour.  But what do I do?  I'm not used to being in this situation.  What if I say the wrong thing?  What if I only make her more upset?  Dammit, why can't I just be more supportive of her? I want to, I really do, but…but I'm afraid…afraid of saying the wrong thing.  Pitiful, that's what I am.  I can't even do one thing right for her.  Well, if I just sit here in silence, it's not like I could say anything wrong.  I know it's not going to make her feel better, but it's all I can do."

They sat in silence for several minutes, evoking curious glances from many passers-by.  Evidently, it was not just Irvine who thought Selphie's behaviour was odd. 

"Do you ever have doubts about all this?" Selphie asked, finally shattering the silence.

"What?" asked Irvine, shocked that she had finally decided to share her worries with him.

"Do you ever think that maybe we're not actually doing the right thing?"

"What could we possibly be doing wrong?"

"I just don't know whether we should be searching for Squall.  I mean, if he doesn't want to be found, then should we really go after him?"  She sighed, feeling as if sharing this information had lifted a huge weight from her chest.

"Sometimes," he admitted.  "But only for a moment."

"What changes your mind?"

"The fact that this was all such a big misunderstanding, and Squall needs to know that we know that, if you see what I mean, before he can make the decision to stay away for ever," he explained.  "He probably feels betrayed by Garden, and to a certain extent, he was, but he needs to know that he's still welcome back home, and that he's not the one who was at fault."

"You mean we should just find him and tell him that it was all Quistis' fault.  I'm sure he'd buy that," she said, sarcastically.

"No, we wouldn't say that, because that's not the truth.  Sure, Quistis was at fault for casting doubt upon Rinoa's credibility, but Cid was also at fault for listening to her before he could check her story out, and…and I think that it was partly my fault too."

"How do you figure that?" She looked up from the ground, their eyes meeting for the first time during the whole conversation.  She noticed the sadness that developed within them when she asked this question.

"I…" he paused, unsure of how to continue.  "I'm sorry, this is really difficult for me to talk about."  

"Please, Irvine, you can talk to me."  Selphie had never before seen this insecure and fearful side of Irvine, and was suddenly concerned for her friend's safety.  "Maybe he's not as arrogant and self-assured as he seems.  Maybe that was all just a front, and this is the real Irvine.  Maybe I've really misjudged him."

"Well," he continued, "I knew just how she felt when she realised that she could never be with Squall.  You said that she had always hoped that Squall would grow to like her, but when Rinoa came onto the scene, it was so obvious that she and Squall were right for one another, and that just made the whole of Quistis' world collapse in on itself.  I recognised the signs, and I should have spoken to her.  People in Squall's situation don't mean to cause the harm that they do, I know, but the fact remains that the other person does feel hurt.  Maybe of she's have had somebody to talk to who had gone through the same thing, she might have faced up to her fears of never being with Squall instead of trying to run away.  What she did was malicious, I can't deny that, but I understand why she did it better than anyone else could.  If I'd only have talked to her, maybe this could have been avoided."  He sighed, not wanting to look Selphie in the eye, especially as he had just poured his heart out to her.  She looked at him in disbelief.

"Did I really do this to him?" she thought.  "I was so cold towards him, I just wanted to forget that he had feelings for me because that would make life difficult.  I was so willing to run away from the situation that I never really faced up to how I feel about him, I just hoped that it would all be forgotten.  That was the worst possible thing to do, I know that now.  He must have felt so hurt and rejected, and that wasn't my intention at all.  I didn't mean to reject him, I just didn't want anything to become complicated.  I just assumed that, with time, he would forget that he ever even had feelings for me, and then we could continue to be friends.  I thought that becoming involved with another SeeD would make my life at Garden so much more difficult.  There would be the constant fear that he wouldn't return of a mission, and working with him would have been impossible…I think.  Oh, who am I kidding, I just wanted to take the easy way out, but I was mistaken, it wasn't the easy option.  It's a miracle that there wasn't a repeat of the Squall and Quistis situation.  If he was any less of a person then I know something bad would have happened and that we wouldn't be friends now.  I really did underestimate his character.  I was just so unwilling to accept the fact that I might want to be with this guy, that I didn't see what was really there, right in front of my face.  I should tell him.  I owe him an apology."

"I'd better go," he muttered, obviously embarrassed by his revelations.  The fact that Selphie had remained silent had only made things more awkward.

"No," she replied, forcefully.  "I… I don't want you to.  I need to apologise.  Irvine, I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?" he asked, puzzled. 

 "For everything."  She looked down at the ground, feeling ashamed about her actions.  Irvine wasn't sure if she was sorry about the way that she had inadvertently treated him, or for having doubts over their mission, so he felt he would be on much safer grounds if he changed the subject.

"Shall we go and find Squall?"  

"Sure, we need to talk to him," she replied.  "And I need to talk to you," she thought to herself.  "It would hurt to know that you had forgotten all about me, now that I've decided to stop running."

"Come on, we'll find him together," he said, offering her his hand.

"Together," Selphie affirmed, taking up the offer of both the company, and the hand.

"Am I really doing the right thing?  I mean, I'm taking Squall away from his home, away from his life.  Before I came along he didn't have a care in the world.  It would have been better for him if he hadn't have listened to me when I told him Caraway planned to attack Garden.  He would never have got involved with me, he would never have turned his back on them, and he wouldn't be in this situation now."

"Rinoa?"  Squall's voice interrupted her solitary thoughts, making her realise just how little she regretted everything that had happened.

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't change anything that happened," he told her, softly, sensing her doubts over what they were about to do.  This made her smile, and briefly forget her apprehension.  "Everything will be fine."

"What of Caraway comes after us?"'

"Let him come.  I won't let him take you away from me."

"I know," she replied.  "I trust you."  Squall's heart warmed at these words that he had never before heard.  She was the first person who had ever trusted him, and she was the first person that he had ever trusted.  "Are you sure you're ready for this?" she asked, before heading to the booth to purchase their tickets.  He didn't even need to think about his reply.

"Yes.  I'm ready."

Thanks to:

Keiry

Angelofthelions

Trekken46

Freakker

Mariko

Omnitoad

Fuyu no Yuki

Almicene

Rinoa Leonhart1

Renegade Seraph

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

Mecha-Griever

GX


	21. Fate

Chapter 21

The closer that Irvine and Selphie got to the town of Balamb, the more their pace seemed to quicken.

"You don't really think he'll leave for good do you, Irvine?" Selphie asked, struggling to keep up with his longer strides.  

"Quistis said that she saw him when he returned to Garden.  The chances are that he saw her as well, and that he knows that she saw him."

"So?  That doesn't matter.  What matters is that Garden is his home."

"Selphie, he knows that it was Quistis who did this.  He's going to believe that she'll tell Cid that he's still here, and that SeeD will come after him."

"You can't be sure that he'll just leave."

"I can, Selphie.  You have to believe me, I know how he feels…"  He paused, unsure of how to continue, not even able to look her in the eye.  "She's his whole life, his everything.  To make sure that she was safe from harm, he would do anything."  He felt sure that she had realised by now that he was no longer talking about Squall and Rinoa.  He was relieved when she offered him no reply, preferring instead to leave so many things unsaid.

_"We really messed things up, didn't we?" _she thought.  _"We really had a chance, and I ignored it.  Now look at us?  We're almost afraid to speak to one another."  _She looked up at him, and saw, deep in his eyes, a look of sadness beyond description. This was what they had become.  "_We can't let Squall and Rinoa mess things up too.  At least they have a chance."_

Irvine picked up his pace, embarrassed by what he had just revealed about his feelings for Selphie, and wanting to get as far away from her as possible.  She soon found herself jogging to keep up.

"I always thought he'd come back, you know?" she said.  "I couldn't imagine that Squall could live without Garden, and I could never imagine the place without him.  Deep down, I believed that he'd come home."  She hung her head slightly, ashamed at what she perceived was her naivety.  "I couldn't have been more wrong, could I?"

He suddenly stopped, and put both his hands on her shoulders.

"You weren't to know, Selphie.  You weren't to know."

"Squall, wait," Rinoa shouted across the bustling platform, as she tried to catch up with him.

"What is it?"

"Do we have to rush off now?  I mean, we don't have anything with us.  No food, no clean clothes, nothing."

"What's your point?" he asked, impatiently.  He was clearly worried about being spotted.  It would be too easy for any member of SeeD to slip through the crowd without him noticing.  

"Look, even if we get on the train now, it isn't going to leave for another five minutes.  At least let me go and buy us some things for the journey." She only paused slightly, not leaving enough time for Squall to reply.  "Thanks," she said, before rushing off in the opposite direction.  

"Rinoa," he shouted, running after her and grabbing her arm.  He turned her around forcefully.  "I don't want you leaving my sight."

"Squall.  I appreciate you being protective, really, I do, but I can look after myself.  I don't want to spend the rest of my days looking over my shoulder, afraid of who's hunting me down.  That's not a life, Squall.  That's just existing."

"And what would you rather I do?" he asked.  "Just go back and have them throw us both into prison.  Wouldn't that be even worse than this?"  He was beginning to raise his voice, oblivious to the fact that passers-by seemed to be staring intently at the couple.  "Is that what you want?"

"No, Squall, of course that's not what I want.  There has to be another way.  You might not believe in destiny and fate, but I do.  I believe that I met you because of fate.  It could have been anyone else from SeeD that was sent to capture me, but it wasn't.  It was you.  That was meant to be."

"There's nobody in control of my life."

"Don't be so narrow-minded.  There are times in everybody's life when they just have to accept something.  There are certain things that you can't choose."

"There are always choices.  Fate is just an excuse that people use when they make the wrong one."

"That's not true.  So many things in my life have happened that I've had no control over.  I can't help the fact that I was born into a rich, corrupt family that's obsessed with power.  That was something that I just had to put up with, and it's shaped my whole life.  It's made me who I am.  And I don't believe for one minute that our paths collided by chance, Squall.  Everything felt so right."

"Well, if your saying that we don't have complete control over everything in our lives, then how do you know that this isn't 'fated?' he demanded.

"I don't know, Squall, just please trust me on this.  It feels wrong.  I'm not the kind of person who runs away from their problems, and I didn't think you were either.  Maybe I misjudged you."  This seemed to have an affect on him, causing him to back down for a moment.

_"She's right," _he thought.  _"Since when have I ever ran away from anything?  That's not who I am. But then, I'm so frightened of losing her.  I know what happens when you stand your ground and fight.  People get hurt, people die. Fighting causes so much pain and suffering, that I'm not sure whether it is the best way."_

"Well, Squall?  Are you going to run?" she asked?

"It's the only way to escape from this.  If we run, we can forget about Garden, forget about Caraway, forget about all our problems.  Why the hell shouldn't we just leave?"

"You do realise that, wherever we go, they will find us.  It'll only be a matter of time."

"You can't know that."

"My father has the whole resources of the Galbadian military at his command.  If he was willing to launch an attack on Garden, then he must want me back pretty badly.  He's not going to let me go that easily."

"Neither will I."

"But don't you see?  By running, that's what your doing.  At least if you go back to Garden now, there's a chance that they might believe the truth about all this.  The attack last night should have proven to them that you were right."  She threw her hands up in exasperation.  "I know that you have your pride to maintain, and that you feel like you'll be admitting that you were wrong by going back, but Squall, nobody else sees it like that."

"You know me too well," he admitted.  "But even _if_ we return and they believe us, what then?"

"Now that I don't know," she confessed.  "That's more your area of expertise," she replied, only half jokingly.  

"I doubt they'd trust me again.  Not now they know that I would put you before them."  

"There's only one way to find out."

He gave her a tiny smile that was not noticeable to anyone but Rinoa.  

"Fine, you get your way."  He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, defeated.

"Good, because I'm not sure we have much choice in the matter anymore," she said, pointing towards the far side of the platform.  

He followed the line of her gaze, until he spotted what had attracted her attention.  Irvine and Selphie were heading straight for them.

"Hey, Squall, Rinoa," Selphie screamed, waving her arms in the air.  Rinoa waved back, sheepishly, embarrassed by the fact that the entire station was now staring at them.    When Selphie finally reached them she began babbling, excitedly, and the couple found it extremely difficult to keep track of what she was saying.  "After you left we went to see Cid about why Quistis had lied about Rinoa, and he ordered us all to search for you, but Garden was having maintenance work done so we decided we couldn't look for you, because we thought you'd left the island.  And then those men came and attacked us in the night, and so we knew Rinoa was telling the truth, so we've been desperately trying to find you to tell you we're sorry."  Rinoa and Squall looked at each other, confused.

"I think what Selphie's trying to say is, this was all a big misunderstanding, and we hope you can forgive us," Irvine explained.

"Well?" prompted Selphie, hopping from foot to foot in anticipation of their answer.

"We're both coming home."

A/N  I'm really sorry for the unacceptably long delay between updates, I've just had so much work to do.  This might well be the case for the next few months, unfortunately, so if I don't update regularly, I apologise in advance.  I want to thank everyone that reviewed and everybody that's still reading this fic.

Thanks to:

Optical Goddess

Renegade Seraph

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

Meestyna

Angelofthelions

The Angel of Fate

ReKu

Rinoa Leonhart1

Old User

Rinoa Lockheart

MagzDD

Almicene

Trekken46

Karla3

Freakker

Keiry


	22. Apathy

Chapter 22

"We did it, Selphie," Irvine whispered.  "We brought them home."  

Word of their return seemed to have spread like wildfire throughout Garden.  There were literally hundreds of students lining the corridor from the front entrance of Garden, and more were pouring in each second.  The crowds parted as the four figures walked amongst them, allowing them to pass through without hindrance.  For Squall and Rinoa, these moments were unbearable.  There was not one sound from the crowd, no whispers, no murmurings, and the silence hung over the pair, filling them with dread.  Even more disconcerting was the fact that each and every student's gaze was firmly fixed on them, and refused to waver.  

To Squall, this was the worse possible type of reaction that could have greeted them.  After talking to Selphie and Irvine, and discovering that the truth about Rinoa was now known and that his part in the defence of Garden had also been recognised, Squall had secretly been hoping that he would be welcomed back with open arms, although deep down, he felt sure that this was not going to happen.  

"After all," he reasoned to himself, "They were eager enough to denounce me when they believed me to be corrupted by Rinoa.  Why should they be glad that I've returned?"

Instead, Squall had been hoping for some sense of anger or resentment towards him.  He was accustomed to it, and he knew how to deal with it.  This reaction was something different, something completely new to him.  

Apathy.

That was something that he did not now how to deal with, and it unsettled him. He hated being on unfamiliar territory, and especially despised the feelings of insecurity that typically went with it.  Throughout his life, he had always been taught that the key to victory is knowing your enemy, and so Squall had constantly strived to know how people were feeling and what they were thinking, so that he could determine just what their motivation is for fighting.  This was the main reason why Squall was not comfortable in his current surroundings.  He had no idea what anybody in the crowd of students was thinking.  Did they all secretly despise him for what he did and were just too afraid to speak their minds?  Or perhaps they were all feeling guilty for doubting him, but didn't know how to express it.  Whatever the reason, it was not apparent to Squall, and so he was relieved when they finally reached the far end of the corridor and steeped into the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Squall allowed himself the luxury of breathing a deep sigh of relief.  It was only then that he noticed that Rinoa was shaking.  Evidently, she had not enjoyed the experience either, even though she was perhaps better adept at dealing with situations that were out of her control.  He took her hand and squeezed it gently, trying to convince her that everything will turn out okay in the end.  Her face showed no reaction, but her fingers began to grip his more and more tightly, letting him know that she was in need of any comfort that he could give.  

Eventually, after what seemed like an age, the elevator stopped and the pair found themselves stood outside the door to Headmaster Cid's office.

"We'll be waiting outside for you," Selphie said, but Rinoa and Squall barely heard this.  They were too focused on the looming entrance of the office before them, both being acutely aware of what was at stake here.  They both knew that if Cid did not believe them, it could be the end of everything they had together, and for that, both Rinoa and Squall were secretly terrified.  They squeezed each others hand one last time, before letting go of each other and entering the office.

"Squall, Rinoa.  Take a seat please," Cid announced in his most authoritative voice.  They both obliged, nervously, waiting with bated breath for his verdict on the recent events.  "Now, I just want to put you at your ease.  We know now that you have not been trying to deceive us, Miss Heartilly.  The fact that we were recently attacked by a Galbadian Army unit, apparently searching for you, lends weight to your side of events.  Add to that the fact that Miss Trepe has admitted that her accusations were false, and I have to conclude that I have no further grounds for detaining you in custody."  

Relief flooded over Rinoa and Squall and the tension in the room was immediately lifted.  She even managed a slight smile, thankful that her ordeal was over, for now at least.  

"Thank you," she whispered, still not quite believing that she was free to go.

"I would like to offer you a formal apology from SeeD," Headmaster Cid continued.  "Our treatment of you was appalling, and we are prepared to admit that."

"I'd just like to forget about all that," Rinoa replied.

"However, Squall, your case is a little more difficult.  You were placed in a position of responsibility.  You had your orders and you deliberately disobeyed them, freeing a prisoner.  Normally, I would be forced to discipline you severely.  SeeD is an organisation based on rules, and examples must be set to the younger cadets.  However, it was brought to my attention that, when you helped Miss Heartilly to escape, you had already been dismissed from SeeD.  As such, you are not eligible to be punished for this."

Squall looked up at the Headmaster with a start. This was something that was entirely unexpected.  He had expected to be permanently dispelled from the organisation, or at least be demoted to such an extent that his career would be in ruin.  Headmaster Cid was known as a fair man, one who would always abide by the rules, although never be harsh in the extreme.  He was also very keen that people should face the proper punishment for their crimes, which made this announcement from Cid all the more shocking to Squall, so much so that he wasn't entirely sure that he was hearing this properly.

"Now that Miss Trepe has admitted her part in this, it seems that you were dismissed from SeeD wrongly.  As a result of this, I would like to reinstate you to your previous position, effective immediately."

"Thank you, Sir," he muttered in disbelief.  

"It's good to have you back, son," the Headmaster sighed, finally dropping the air of formality.  "There's just one thing, though, before I let you go.  I need to know what happened with those soldiers in Garden."

Squall took a deep breath, and began his lengthy explanation.

Headmaster Cid nodded gravely.  "It was just as I had feared.  This was a planned mission, and was well-organised."

"Yes, Sir.  That was the conclusion that I came to as well," Squall agreed.

"I have already discussed the motivation for this attack with Zell, Selphie and Irvine, and we came to the conclusion that they came to retrieve Rinoa.  That could be the only reason why such a small force was sent.  They would have known that, had they been spotted, they were certain to die.  They had no chance of fighting off all of the SeeDs in Garden and then escaping alive.  No, they meant to get in unnoticed, find what they were looking for, and get out again, before we even knew that they had been here.  Can you think of any other reason for this?"

"No, Sir," Squall replied. "Not if there were no explosives found on the bodies."  Squall looked over at Rinoa, and she saw the fear in his eyes, the fear of losing her.  It seemed as if they would not be able to relax just yet.

"Well, all we know is that they want Rinoa back, and they're not prepared to risk an all out attack to do this, probably in case she was hurt in the process," he concluded.  "It's not enough information to formulate a good plan on."

"Erm, Sir?" Rinoa began, nervously, "The order this time may have been to bring me back alive, but that won't keep.  If my father believes that there is no way that he can get me out of here unharmed, then I don't think he's going to shy away from an all-out attack.  I mean, I can't think why he would want me alive anyway.  He didn't seem too bothered about my safety when he sent those soldiers after us in the woods, why should he worry about that now?"

"The orders given to me by Caraway were very specific.  We were told to bring you back alive and unharmed.  Are you certain that he would risk your life now?" the Headmaster asked.

"I'm sure of it," she replied.  "He won't let me get in the way of any of his plans.  He'd rather have me dead."

"Well then.  We're going to have to be very proactive here," Cid decided.  "It's no use just sitting here, waiting for an attack to come.  We're no match for the full force of the Galbadian army in any case."

"Do you have a plan, Sir?"

"Not at the moment, Squall."  He glanced at his watch.  "It's late.  I will call a meeting first thing tomorrow.  We'll decide what course of action to take then.  For now, you're both dismissed."

"General, there's a phone call for you on line one."

"Thank you, Gloria."  He pushed the button on the phone for line one.  "This is Caraway," he growled down the phone.

"Did you think it was wise to try and deceive me?" the deep, menacing voice on the other end of the line questioned.  Immediately, Caraway froze.  He had been discovered.

"He must have spies everywhere," he thought, bitterly.

"Well?"  Still he offered no reply.  The man was obviously becoming impatient.  "If you try anything like that again, mark my words Caraway, I will order her execution."  The line went dead.  

Caraway was still unable to move.  He must have listened to the dialling tone for a full ten minutes before the realisation of those words set in.  

"They're going to kill her."

He held his head in his hands, and began to weep.

A/N:  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Thanks to:

Optical Goddess

Freakker

Meestyna

Renegade Seraph

Angelprinczess29

Mariko Heartilly

Dan

Old User

Angel Rinoa Heartilly

Omnitoad

Rinoa Heartilly-Leonhart

MagzDD

Phrozen-Heart

=]

TLL

Happy Youkai


	23. Last Throw of the Dice

Chapter 23

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Is there anybody in the room with you?"

"No, sir."

"Is the line secure?"

"Yes, sir."

There was a slight, deliberate, pause on the other end of the line.

"Simmons, how in the hell did you let this happen?"  He had known that the caller would not be pleased at the outcome of last night's attack, but his voice showed no trace of anger.  Instead, each of his words were carefully chosen, each phrase and action cold and calculated.  Simmons knew that these kind of men were the most dangerous of all…cold blooded killers.

"Sir, if you'll just let me explain.  She was being detained in the holding cells as I explained to you previously, but…well, she escaped."  Simmons cringed.  He could guess what the response would be.

"She escaped?  Weren't you supposed to be her guard?"

"Well, yes…but…" he stuttered, before being interrupted.

"I don't want to hear your sorry excuses.  You failed."

"I'm sorry, sir…it was Leonhart's fault, not mine."

"Don't try to blame anybody else for your mistake."  

"Yes, sir."  Simmons was seriously beginning to fear for his life.

"It sounds as if this Leonhart's becoming something of a problem.  One which needs eliminating.  Don't fail me again."  Simmons registered a click, followed by the dialling tone.  He had his orders, and his one, final chance to survive.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What have I done?" Caraway muttered to himself, stubbing out his cigar on the wooden railing of the balcony.  He studied the perfectly formed scorch mark that remained, hoping that any small, insignificant detail could distract him from the magnitude of the situation.  It was pointless.  

He sighed, gazing into the distance at the rolling parklands and ornamental pond that made up the grounds of his mansion.  This was what he had worked so hard to achieve for the last thirty years.

"And now it all means nothing," he thought wryly to himself.  

At one time, it was everything.  He lived for his job, and his job alone, but that all changed when he met Julia, a pianist at the Deling City hotel.  Caraway had never been one to believe in love at first sight.  That was something that was exclusive to unbelievably sappy romantic films, and children's fairy tales.  Even so, he had to admit that there was something very special about her, and he felt it from the very first moment that they met.  From then on, he had worked to provide for Julia, and the family that he hoped they would one day raise together.  He was determined to earn enough money to always give them the best in life, and that sometimes alienated him from the very woman he loved.  

When their daughter was born, he vowed that he would not let the same happen between them, but nothing ever goes to plan.  

After Julia's tragic death, Caraway thought that his world had fallen apart.  For months, he hardly touched his food, and he barely slept, but he pulled through, if only for the sake of his young daughter.  It was then that he made a promise to himself.  He promised that he would never abandon Rinoa like he felt he had abandoned Julia.  He watched her every move, no matter what she did, he was there, and that, in the end was what drove her away.  

"If I'd have given her some freedom, maybe this mess wouldn't be happening.  She left home, and now, just because she's my daughter, she's been caught up in all this political wrangling."

It had been several years now since Vinzer Deling had first approached Caraway concerning the elimination of SeeD, back when Deling was an unimportant government minister.  His proposal was easy enough to dismiss back then, but Caraway was now finding it impossible to do so now that Deling was president, and fully promoting his views on Galbadian supremacy.  Although the army wasn't completely under control of the government, it was almost unheard of to disobey a direct order from the president, but that was what Caraway did.  SeeD was the only neutral fighting force in the world, and the elimination of them would ensure that the Galbadian Army would go unchallenged in terms of military supremacy.  Caraway was well aware of what Deling would try to do with that kind of power at his disposal.  

Still, he had paid a high price for his refusal.  Three attempts had been made on his life in the past year, and there was the continued threat of uprisings from certain sections of the military. 

"However," he thought, "It's nothing compared to the price that I may still have to pay."

It had only been a month since Deling had openly threatened Rinoa's life, but that month had been enough to completely destroy Caraway's nerves and composure.  He had been waiting patiently for the right time to talk to Rinoa, to rebuild the trust between them, but his hand had been forced.  He knew that, in Timber, she had no concept of the danger that she would be facing, and so he made the decision to bring her home by force.  He knew that Deling probably had her under surveillance, so using his own men would be out of the question.  The only choice he had left was to hire SeeD, and then, once Rinoa was safely away from Timber, have his own soldiers retrieve her from the mercenaries.  He couldn't risk being seen to be having dealings with the organisation.  If that happened, he would surely be removed from his position as general as soon as possible.

"If only things would go to plan," he thought wistfully.  "If only my men had been able to defeat the SeeDs in the woods, Deling might not have been any the wiser."

Caraway had long suspected that Deling had an inside man at SeeD.  This just confirmed it.

"He knew all about my part in it.  They've probably captured her by now.  Her execution will have already been ordered."

He knew from one of his most loyal men that one of the best squads in the army had left on a night ops mission the previous evening.  A mission that he himself had not authorised.  The order for that mission had come from someone else, and Caraway had a very good idea who that might have been.

"She's with them now.  My only daughter is with them now."

The staunch old soldier found himself weeping for the first time since the death of his beloved wife.  He could feel the sharp wind whipping against his face, brushing against the tears that were flowing freely.

"She's going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simmons tried to regulate his breathing, desperately trying to calm himself.  Taking out Leonhart was something that he had always dreamed of doing, but never thought that he would get the opportunity to.  Now that that opportunity had arrived, he was nervous, and wracked with doubt.

"Leonhart's no easy target," he thought to himself.

To make his task even more difficult, he had to ensure that nobody would suspect him of murder.  He still had further jobs to do for his boss within Garden.  The best way to do this, he decided, would be to make his death seem like an accident.  The easiest way to do this would be to fake an accident in the training centre, but he knew that Squall was too good to fall for that.  Instead, he had to use a more risky plan of action.  One of the supplies that he had been given before coming to Garden was a small vial of poison.  Simmons knew that it had originally been intended for the headmaster, in order to make it seem as if he died from a heart attack, but it would suffice for the job he had to carry out.  He knew that Squall seemingly dying of a heart attack may seem slightly suspicious, but the poison did not remain in the blood stream long enough for it to be picked up by an autopsy.  There would be no way of tracing the death to him, that was the main thing.

Simmons took one last, deep breath before entering the cafeteria, clutching the vial tightly in his pocket.

"This is it."


	24. Too Close For Comfort

Chapter 24

Simmons progressively scanned the room, assessing the dangers that he would be facing. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw just how many people were bustling around the busy cafeteria.

"Should be easy enough to slip away," he thought slyly to himself.

He steadied himself one more time, before heading over to Squall's location at the head of the dinner queue. That was the extent of his plan. He hated to admit it, but he had come into this one unprepared. The time needed to carefully plan an operation that could not possibly fail was not gifted to him, leaving him with a risky operation, lacking in detailed preparation, which was why he was still unsure of how to distract Squall for long enough to slip the substance onto his food.

"Somehow, I doubt the 'look over there' trick will work," muttered wryly.

He was only a couple of paces away from Squall now, and he was beginning to feel the panic well up inside him.

"What to say, what to say, what to say?" That one, single question was rushing through his mind.

He felt sure that he had been seen. Squall was a highly trained member of SeeD, and so his presence would not have gone unnoticed.

"Act natural. If I do that, he has no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary."

As a plan failed to materialise the closer he got to his target, Simmons began to panic, his palms were clammy, his manner agitated, and sweat was dripping off his forehead.

"He's going to suspect something," Simmons thought, grimacing.

"Yo, Squall! Squall, over here."

Just when Simmons thought the game was up, he was saved by Zell charging through the vast crowds of people standing between Squall and himself.

"Squall!" Zell bellowed for a second time.

It was then that the opening Simmons had been praying for opened up. Squall looked over towards Zell, and turned his back on the would-be-assassin standing just metres from him. Simmons was not about to miss this opportunity. He swiftly removed the vial from his pocket and poured the contents of the bottle over Squall's lunch, before swiftly leaving the scene, ensuring that he was lost in the crowds before his target had time to turn around.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Squall, you had better be saving me one of those hotdogs you've got there," Zell shouted, despite the fact that he was now within comfortable talking distance of Squall.

"You charged all the way over here to tell me that?" Squall asked, exasperated. "I thought there was some kind of emergency."

"There is some kind of emergency. That meeting with the headmaster this morning made me late for lunch, and you got the last of the hotdogs."

"My heart bleeds for you," Squall replied, sarcastically.

"I need my hotdogs, man. Can't get through the day without them."

"Well I was at the meeting with you, and I managed to get here in time, so it's your own fault, and you are not eating my lunch."

"Hey, it's not my fault," Zell protested, following Squall towards the only free table in the room. "I bumped into this girl from the library on my way here, and…well…anyway, that's not what's important. What's important is that you let me have one of those hotdogs. Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"For the last time…NO!"

"Zell! Zell!" Both men looked up to see who had interrupted their argument, only to see Selphie bounding through endless lines of first year students looking thoroughly indignant at the fact that they had just been pushed, jostled, and some of them even knocked to the ground. "Excuse me, coming through," she warned, after she had barrelled into a group of four boys. Unfortunately, Selphie was too wrapped up in reaching her friends that she didn't notice the bag on the floor directly in her path. Her foot became tangled in the straps, and she flew across the canteen…straight into Squall. He flinched and took a step backwards, preventing him from falling over, but in the process, the lunch plate was knocked from his hands, and flew across the cafeteria before landing at the feet of the dinner ladies, who promptly shot Squall a dirty look, before sweeping up the hotdogs and dumping them unceremoniously into the bin.

"I can't believe they just did that. They had no right, I mean, those were perfectly good hotdogs," whined Zell. "This is all your fault," he accused, pointing at Selphie who was busy picking herself up off the floor, and dusting herself down.

"Geez, Zell, they're only hotdogs," she replied. "And anyway, I wanted to speak with you," she said, changing the subject. "What's the deal with you and the girl from the library?" she asked, curiously.

"There is no deal. There's nothing to tell," he replied.

"Oh, I think there is. Zell's got a crush. Zell's got a crush," she chanted, drawing interested looks from students across the cafeteria.

"No, I haven't." By this time, Zell had managed to turn an attractive shade of lobster pink.

"Zell's got a crush. Zell's got a crush."

"That's it! I've had enough," he screamed, turning on his heel, and storming out of the room.

"I think you embarrassed him, Selphie," Irvine, who was making his way over to the table at a much more leisurely pace than Selphie had, pointed out.

"So, I'll get the whole story from him eventually. I always do."

"I think maybe you should leave him alone for a little while," Irvine advised. "He seemed pretty mad."

"Nah, he'll get over it. Anyway, speaking of mad, have you talked to Quistis, Squall? I know you were pretty angry with her but…"

"No, I haven't, and I won't be doing so at any point in the future." Squall meant this to be the end of the conversation, but that wasn't enough to put Selphie off,

"Oh, Squall, you can't say that. She really regrets what she did, you know?" Squall just shrugged.

"Go and talk to her," pleaded Selphie. "She's really sorry for everything, I know she is."

"Selphie, I think you'd better drop it," Irvine said, putting one hand on her shoulder. "How's Rinoa?" he asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a more productive direction.

"She's fine, I guess," Squall replied.

"She wasn't offended that she didn't get to go to the meeting this morning?"

"She understands," Squall lied. He had broached this subject with Rinoa the previous evening, and she had been upset that she wasn't allowed to voice her own opinion about a situation in which she was intrinsically involved. Eventually, and with a great deal of persuasion, Squall had managed to persuade her to grudgingly accept the decision, even if she wasn't particularly happy about it.

"Really? I thought she would have been annoyed about it," exclaimed Selphie. "I know I would have been." Squall just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to discuss Rinoa's feelings with anybody. His attitude was that if she wanted Selphie and Irvine to know about it, she could tell them herself.

"Look, I was going to see her after lunch, and seen as you've already dealt with my lunch, that means now. I'll see you later," he muttered, before she could ask any more awkward questions.

"See you later, Squall."

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From his vantage point in the corner of the cafeteria, Simmons watched the scene unfolding with a grimace permanently etched on his face. If it hadn't have been for the interference of the girl, his mission would have been a complete success. As it was, his boss was going to be very unhappy.

_"Very unhappy indeed."_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

A/N: I'm really sorry for the length of time it took me to update. Hopefully, it'll be updated regularly from now on, because I don't have much else to do in my three hour waits between lectures. I just want to say thank you to everybody that's still reading this story.


	25. Secret Agent Selphie

Chapter 25

She waited patiently in the shadows for an opportunity to present itself. She was ready to strike. Her back pressed firmly against the wall, she moved her head ever so slightly, allowing herself to peer around the corner, hoping that her target was looking in the opposite direction. She was in luck. She hadn't been spotted. She breathed a sigh of relief. Any mistake now could jeopardise her entire mission. Any false move, and she would be back to square one.

_Footsteps._

She tensed slightly.

"_Somebody's leaving,_" she thought, panicking. There was no time to hide, no time to avoid being seen. Adrenalin taking over, she made a split second decision, and threw the gil she had in her pocket on the floor, before getting onto her knees and frantically sought to retrieve them. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the young man walk past her without a second glance. "Good thinking," she whispered, congratulating herself. "_He didn't suspect a thing_."

She picked the remaining coins up from the floor, and resumed her position on the wall, surveying the occupants of the room.

"_I could make a run for it,_" she thought, buoyed by her success in avoiding being seen as suspicious. "_If I could just make it behind the first set of shelves…_" She focused on the pig-tailed girl behind the counter. "_But if she sees me, everything's ruined_." She moved a little further down the wall, feeling braver now than ever before. She knew that if the girl turned around, she would be spotted, and that would be the end of it, but it was worth the risk. She was now within earshot, and could hear exactly what was being said.

"You'll find it on the second shelf to your right, third shelf down," the girl replied to a question posed to a first year cadet.

"Where can I find a book on the theory of time compression?" an older, more studious looking cadet asked.

"Let me see," the girl responded, entering the search on her computer. "I'm sorry but the only book on that subject has already been issued to an Irvine Kinneas. It should be back later today."

Surprise registered on her face. "Irvine _gets those kind of books out. What a science geek._" She couldn't help emitting a slight chuckle, and had to clamp her hand firmly over her mouth to stop herself from being heard. "_Get a grip of yourself girl. You're on a serious mission._"

"Could I take these three books out, please?" a young student asked.

"Certainly," was the reply. She took the student's ticket and scanned it though the computer, before stamping the books with the date.

It was then that the opportunity presented itself.

The pig-tailed girl accidentally dropped the stamp on the floor, and bent down to retrieve it.

"_Now's my chance,"_ she thought, adjusting her sunglasses before she moved away from the wall into full view of the room. She took one deep breath, before sprinting towards the girl, placing a small metal object on the desk next to her without being noticed, and then changing direction towards the nearest bookshelf. Glancing back, she saw the girl beginning to pick herself up off the floor. _"I'm not going to make it," _she thought. She made a desperate attempt to dive behind the shelf, just managing to avoid being seen. She quickly sprung back to her feet, thankful that this section of the library was deserted and nobody saw her tumble to the floor. "_Success!" _She pulled the receiver out of her pocket and flicked the switch to on.

"I can't believe there's another five hours left on this shift," a voice whined. The reception was a little crackly, but she could still make out everything that was said perfectly clearly. She recognised the voice as that of the pig-tailed girl. _"Great, she's finally talking to her colleague. This is what I wanted to hear."_

"Hey, Elaina, are you seeing that guy again tonight?"

_"So that's her name. This is getting kind of interesting."_

"Huh?"

"You know who I mean. What was his name...?" she pressed.

"Oh, you mean Zell."

_"Finally, we're getting into the good stuff." _

"Well, I don't know. Our date last week didn't exactly go well. He took me to a fast food restaurant, and then ate so many hotdogs that he threw up."

"Ewww."

"It was worse than that, he threw up all over that brand new dress I bought."

"No."

"Yes. I mean, he's sweet and all, but I don't want a repeat of last week."

__She was so wrapped up in listening to their conversation that she didn't notice anybody creeping up behind her.

"Hi, Selphie," Irvine said, a little too loud for her liking. "What are you upto?" Selphie jumped in shock, and turned to face him.

"Ssssshhhhh," she commanded, pressing her fingers to her lips. "They're gonna hear us."

"Who?" he asked, clueless of what she was planning. "And what exactly is up with the glasses. I mean, they're really cool and all, but indoors in the middle of winter? Are you feeling alright?"

"Of course I'm feeling alright," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I'm in disguise."

"Disguise?"

"I'm on a very important reconnaissance mission, actually," she replied, with a hint of satisfaction in her voice.

"You mean you're spying on people again?"

"I wouldn't call it spying exactly. It's more like intelligence gathering."

"And you've been stealing from the technical lab again haven't you?" he asked, motioning towards the receiver.

"Borrowing, Irvine. I've been borrowing from the technical lab." She tried her best to look offended.

"Did you get permission?"

"Well…sort of." He glared accusingly at her. "Well, okay…not exactly. There was nobody there to ask permission from, so I borrowed it. I had every intention of giving it back."

"So you stole it." Running out of arguments to use against him, she pulled her tongue out, and expertly steered the topic of conversation around.

"So, what are you doing here then?" she asked as a group of girls walked by and formed a group against the wall, a little further down from where Selphie and Irvine were talking.

"Erm…I was just…erm…bringing a book back for Squall. He forgot that he had this book about…erm, customising weapons out, and he, erm, found it under his bed this afternoon, and then…well, I bumped into him in the corridor, and he asked me to drop it in for him, so here I am." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"You mean you're bringing back your book about time compression aren't you?" she asked with a very smug grin on her face. She knew she'd caught him out.

"What…ah, no, not at all. You wouldn't catch me reading anything like that," he stuttered, his cheeks turning beet red.

"Oh, really science boy?" she teased. Just at that moment, the group of girls let out a collective giggle loud enough to attract the attention of somebody in the car park, never mind at the desk nearby.

"I'll just go and sort them out," a voice from the receiver said. Selphie sprang into action.

"Quick, look like you're reading something," she ordered, picking a book of the shelf and thrusting it into Irvine's hands. She put the receiver in her pocket, and began to study the shelves, closely, her back turned to the girls so that she couldn't be seen.

"Girls, if you're not going to remain quiet, you'll have to leave," Elaina commanded. The girls all nodded in unison, and promised faithfully that they wouldn't do it again, before returning to the front desk.

"Phew, that was close," sighed Selphie. Hearing this, the girls proceeded to look over towards the pair. Their eyes caught something, and they began to stare openly at Irvine.

"Can't resist me," he whispered smugly to her. He had only just finished this sentence, when each of the group collapsed into fits of giggles, which soon graduated into hysterical laughter. Some of them were pointing towards the book that was clasped in his hands. He turned it around in order to look at the front cover, and almost dropped the book in sheer disbelief, and his face turned crimson with embarrassment.

"Selphie," he hissed. "You gave me 'The Biology of the Female Reproductive System?'"

"It was the first one I picked up off the shelf," she protested innocently.

"Yeah, I'm sure it was. You just want to ruin my reputation. Look at them, they all think I'm some kind of pervert or something." She was laughing far too hard to reply.

"Alright, girls. That is it. Leave," Elaina barked, striding over to their location. The girls paused, still pointing and laughing at the very embarrassed Irvine. "NOW!" she bellowed in a tone which caused them exit the room immediately. She then turned her attention to Irvine. "And you, Kinneas. You should find some more suitable reading material."

"He still has a lot of questions that he needs answering," Selphie told her, in that fake understanding tone of voice that only the nurse at the infirmary had perfected.

"Well I would suggest that you look for those answers somewhere else," she said, before returning to her position.

"Great, Irvine. Now you've blown my cover," Selphie muttered indignantly.

"I blew your cover. You just completely embarrassed me." She couldn't control the giggles again. "Alright, that's it. You're going to get it." He chased her furiously out of the library, barely hearing the shouts of "Don't run, WALK," from behind him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rin, are you in there?" he shouted as he knocked at her door. He mentally cursed himself for being late. He said he would meet her after lunch, but instead, he had gone straight to the training centre, as he always did when he was worried. There was something about concentrating on fighting, and on staying alive that made him feel much more focused in general. This time, though, it hadn't worked. It was late afternoon, now, and he didn't have any better idea of things than he had at the start of the day. He was confused, and today, no amount of soul searching could cure it, and so he found himself at her door.

_"I've changed," _he thought, wryly. It was not so long ago, that he would have laughed at anybody who said he would be at somebody's door, seeking solace, and seeking advice. It had taken him a great deal of courage just to put one foot in front of the other and walk down the corridor towards her room, but he had done it. He might have had to take the long way around, but he had done it. He believed himself weak for taking this course of action, but there was nothing else for it. He felt sure of it now.

"Rin?" this time he shouted louder. "Rin?"

"Hey, Squall," screamed Selphie, careering around the corner, closely pursued by Irvine. They skidded to a halt, just yards from him. "Are you alright, Squall? You look terrible."

"I was just looking for Rinoa."

"You told us you were coming here hours ago," Irvine pointed out.

"I know what I said," Squall snapped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…" he apologised.

"Yeah man, I know." Irvine just shrugged it off. "Anyway, we bumped into her before. She said she was going for a walk."

"She looked kind of glum if you ask me," Selphie chipped in.

"Where was she?" Squall demanded in a harsher tone of voice than was originally intended.

"She looked as if she was heading for the ballroom, but that was quite a while ago," Irvine replied.

"Thanks." Squall tried his best to look apologetic for his behaviour, before building up all the courage he could muster and setting off after Rinoa.

_"I need to tell her what I intend before I have the chance to think it over and back down."_


End file.
